Filenews 17 July 2022 - by Angelos Nicolaou
The big bet for the conversion of waste into raw material through the promotion of sorting at source and the separate collection of municipal waste is on track for implementation, with the adoption of the Waste (Municipal Waste Management by the Local Government Authorities) Regulations by the Parliament. The issue of municipal waste management is a significant challenge for the Republic of Cyprus in its effort to achieve the targets set by the European Union.
According to estimates by the Statistical Service, the total amount of municipal solid waste produced in Cyprus amounted to 543,000 tons in 2020 compared to 571,000 tons in 2019. In 2020, the average municipal waste generation per inhabitant in the European Union was 505 kg. In Cyprus, the per capita production of municipal waste reached 609 kg, which is one of the highest among the EU Member States. Of the amount of 462,000 tons managed in 2020, 78.8% was allocated to disposal sites (OEDA, landfill), 18.3% was promoted for recycling, 1.2% was composted, and 1.7% was used for energy recovery.
By 2025 it is estimated that waste generation will amount to 631,000 tons, of which 55% will be recycled based on European directives setting ambitious targets for the reuse and recycling of waste.
According to the forecasts, 347,000 tons will come from separate collection, of which 151,000 concern organic and 196,000 for recyclables. The remaining 284,000 concern mixed and are divided into 185,000 the secondary fuel RDF or landfill and in biostabilization 99,000 tons.
Preparing for re-use and recycling of municipal waste should amount to 55% of the total weight by 2025, 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035. Increased targets have also been set for packaging waste, for which preparing for re-use and recycling should total 65% by 2025 and 70% by 2030. In addition, by 2035 only 10% of the total amount of municipal waste should end up in landfills.
The low percentages of municipal waste recycled (15%) in Cyprus, in contrast to the percentage that ends up in landfills (67%) are far from the European targets and are largely due to the lack of basic infrastructure. To this end, the design and implementation of programs that promote sorting at source and separate collection of recyclable and organic waste, is a main priority of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
With the adoption of the Waste (Municipal Waste Management by the Local Government Authorities) Regulations by the Plenary Session of the House of Representatives, the institutional framework is revised, so that the Local Government Authorities (ATA) can establish systems for sorting at source and separate collection of municipal waste and implement "Pay as you throw" (PDO) systems. With the new Regulations and the implementation of PDO systems, the necessary financial incentives are provided to citizens for the proper sorting of their waste for reuse and recycling. There are individual arrangements on separate collection, collection and transport, as well as on the 'Pay as You Throw' system, respectively, enter into force on 30 June 2024.
