Filenews 18 January 2021 - by Angelos Nikolaou
The introduction of provisions on municipal waste, their application by the local authorities, the introduction of offences in the event of their infringement and the possibility of out-of-court regulation of such offences are provided for by an amendment to the Waste Bill which is being debated in the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment.
According to the "Reviews of the Implementation of EU Environmental Legislation and Policy in Cyprus", the competent authorities will have to make a significant investment in recycling and separate collection in the coming years in order to achieve the 2020 target of an increase to 50% of the recycling rate and by 2035 to 65%. The European Commission has issued a "Report on the implementation of EU waste legislation, including the early warning report for Member States at risk of not achieving the target for the reuse/recycling of municipal waste for 2020", setting out the priority actions for Cyprus, with a view to its compliance with the recycling targets for 2020 and the period after 2020. The 2015 Municipal Solid Waste Management Plan prioritises separate collection and introduces economic measures such as a landfill tax, an extension of expanded producer liability and disposal payment systems.
However, the pace of implementation is quite slow. Cyprus continues to face difficulties in implementing the relevant EU waste policy and meeting its 2020 targets. This is mainly due to: (a) the lack of infrastructure and collection systems for recyclable materials and the diversion of biodegradable waste from landfills, and (b) the lack of coordination between the different administrative levels and the lack of capacity at local level. Some measures have been taken to address these weaknesses, including the ongoing capacity building and technical assistance programme for public administration, local authorities, stakeholders and the public. In addition, the planned adoption of legislative measures providing for the delegation of powers to local authorities for the establishment of separate collection systems should also contribute to improving the situation. The 2010 and 2013 targets for the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfills have not been met, with a significant deviation. In the face of the ongoing review of restrictions on the landfilling of municipal waste, further significant efforts should be made to limit landfilling only to residual waste by 2035 (maximum 10%). Cyprus does not tax landfills or mechanical and biological processing plants and therefore there is no financial incentive for recycling.
"Moving in the right direction"
The Federation of Environmental Organisations of Cyprus (OPOK) considers that the bill, entitled 'The Waste (Amendment) Act 2020', moves in the right direction of implementing the priority actions set by the European Commission to achieve the objectives of Directive (EU) 2018/851 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste. In addition, OPEC considers that the bill is moving in the right direction of securing the necessary Community funds from the Cohesion Fund for the implementation of techno-economic assistance projects of local authorities, which concern the establishment of separate collection systems for municipal waste. OOK therefore recommends that the bill be passed by the House of Representatives.
