Those skip (bin/waste) holders who are used to dumping construction waste and bulky objects wherever they arrive, from open spaces to streams and riverbeds, can continue to do so almost undisturbed until the first quarter of 2027. And this is because then it is planned to issue a relevant decree for the creation of a single platform for the control of skip holders.
It is worth noting that in an effort to control the uncontrolled disposal of the above waste, in 2021 another decree was issued and skip owners were forced to install geolocation systems (GPS) but the whole project fell on deaf ears because no platform or mechanism for accessing this data has been created, so that it is possible to monitor their location and movement.
Now, new geolocation systems (GPS) will be installed and the cost will be paid by taxpayers.
The above emerges from the answer of the Minister of Agriculture, Mrs. Maria Panagiotou, to a question by the Member of Parliament for Larnaca, Mr. Prodromos Alambritis, who indicates that "the absence of a platform leads to cases of uncontrolled placement or abandonment of skips, resulting in the environmental and aesthetic degradation of areas, but also the inability to direct supervision and control by the state".
In Ms. Panagiotou's answer, it is stated that "the Department of Environment took the initiative to prepare a Decree which would introduce the obligation to install a GPS device in all vehicles transporting waste, on a professional basis, in order to strengthen the possibility of identifying a responsible person, in case of illegal disposal".
According to the minister, the original design provided for the obligation to install the above devices, by a single provider, with which the State would contract. However, due to the delay that the above regulation would cause, the scenario of installing the devices in question was chosen by a provider of the choice of the collectors-transporters, which would have to comply with specific minimum specifications.
In this context, Decree ΚΔΠ 462/2021 was issued, according to which each provider has the obligation to keep geolocation data of its customers and to notify them, upon written request to the Department of Environment.
Ms. Panagiotou acknowledges that "this practice has several weaknesses, the main ones being the difficulty of direct access to geolocation data and the involvement of a large number of separate GPS system providers".
She adds that in order to correct the above issues, it was decided to amend the Decree, with the creation of a single platform, with the direct control of the Department of Environment. All waste collection and transport vehicles of licensed waste collectors/transporters will be registered on the single platform."
And the minister continues: "The relevant draft of the new Decree is for legislative review by the Legal Service. It is estimated that the Decree will be issued within the first quarter of 2027 and will coincide with the annual renewal of the Registration Certificates by collectors and transporters."
She further explains that the estimated cost for the Department of Environment is estimated to amount to €250,000, only for the first year, in order to cover the cost of replacing GPS machines, for existing licensed collectors/transporters, who already have GPS receivers installed based on the old Decree. For new licensed operators, the installation cost will be paid directly to the provider, as is the case with the existing Decree.
