Filenews 24 January 2026 - by Vassos Vassiliou
A total of 171 fines were imposed in the period 2024-2025 for illegal waste dumps, both by the Local Government Authorities and by the Department of Environment. A significant contribution to the detection of illegalities was the completion of the mapping of more than 600 illegal dump points, through GIS systems and satellite imagery.
These points were communicated to Municipalities and Communities, through the Union of Municipalities and the Union of Communities, in order to be informed about the areas where illegal waste dumps are recorded and to take the necessary cleaning actions. The issue was raised in Parliament following a relevant question by MP Ms. Alexandra Attalidou, on the occasion of statements by the Assistant District Officer of Paphos that there are about 540 illegal garbage dumps in the province, which pose a serious risk of causing fires.
The MP was informed that the planning of the "Cleanliness Campaign – #WasteFreeCyprus" includes the recording of the points by the involved Local Government Authorities, the risk assessment with an emphasis on areas of the NATURA 2000 Network and forest areas, as well as the provision of financial support to the ATAs, provided that measures are applied to prevent the recurrence of the phenomenon.
The Department of Environment, exercising a coordinating role, proceeded with a series of actions for the rational allocation of available resources and effective cooperation with local authorities. In 2024, the clean-up campaign started in June and ended in December, with the participation of 106 ATAs. In this context, 269 points were cleaned, with an estimated waste volume of approximately 4,300 tons, while the total financial support amounted to €1 million.
For 2025, emphasis was placed on points of increased fire risk, with the cleaning of more than 300 new points, following requests from 82 ATA and at an estimated cost of €1.5 million. At the same time, meetings were held with the Fire Service, the Union of Municipalities, the Union of Communities and Green Point managers, with the aim of better coordinating prevention measures.
In order to prevent a recurrence of the phenomenon, 177 inspectors were appointed by the ATA and powers were granted to issue out-of-court fines, which reach up to €20,000, with the Council of Ministers approving an increase of up to €40,000.
The proceeds from the fines are deposited with the General Accounting Office and may be returned to the ATA in the form of a sponsorship. It is recalled that, according to the legislation, the responsibility for the cleanliness of the countryside lies primarily with the Local Government Authorities.
