Cyprus Mail 19 June 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou
Green Dot Collection Bins
Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis on Friday renewed the operating licences of the recycling collecting companies Green Dot Cyprus and WEEE Cyprus for the second time, until June 2026.
Green Dot Cyprus was first licensed in 2006 while the collective waste management system for electrical and electronic equipment WEEE Cyprus was licensed for the first time in 2009, the minister said.
“It should be noted that for the year 2019 Green Dot achieved 79 per cent recycling in the total weight of packaging for system members, compared to the overall target of 65 per cent set at European level,” he added.
“With the renewal of the system’s license, additional measures are expected to be taken to strengthen the particular quantitative targets of packaging materials, as the European Union, in the context of reviewing waste guidelines, has set higher and more ambitious goals both in total and for each material.”
To reach the goals the licencees are expected to expand door-to-door collection systems in all municipalities and increase the number of points for collecting electrical and electronic waste. The new licences also aim to intensify public information campaigns and strengthen co-operation between the two systems and local government authorities.
According to Kadis, the system currently lists 428 companies, with more than 500 collection points and has collected more than 20,000 tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment during its operation.
“This waste stream is considered difficult to manage because it contains a wide range of products and is the most growing urban waste stream in Europe, with a growth rate three times that of the rest of the waste. It also contains precious metals such as copper, gold and silver, as well as dangerously heavy metals that need to be properly managed to avoid irreversible effects on the environment and human health,” he added.
Under the agreement, the producers have the responsibility of taking on the costs of waste management of the products they place on the market while they must organise collective management systems which provide for the necessary infrastructure for the collection and recycling of this waste.
