The competent authorities are proceeding with the immediate and strict implementation of the current environmental legislation, with the aim of the rational management of Construction and Demolition Waste (AKK) and the definitive crackdown on illegal practices.
The Department of Environment has prepared a comprehensive Action Plan, which is already in the early stages of implementation to deal with illegal trafficking phenomena and their management.
The Action Plan adopts a fully holistic approach that covers all parts of the management chain. From producers and contractors to construction sites, it extends to collectors and conveyors, and ends up in licensed processing and management plants.
Controls and inspections are now carried out on a systematic basis, following clear instructions from the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panagiotou, to ensure that no link in the chain is left unchecked.
The problems with which the competent authorities came and decided to proceed with the adoption of measures concern the continued illegal dumping of waste, the operation of illegal waste management sites, the activity of unlicensed collectors and the non-compliance of licensed facilities with waste accumulation and increased risk of fires and illegal landfills.
The Department of Environment focuses on the following targeted actions:
• Cutting off the illegal waste distribution chain directly from the source of its production.
• Termination of the operation of illegal upload sites, uncontrolled management and disposal of AKK.
• Strengthening on-site inspections at all stages: at construction sites, at collectors/transporters and in licensed management facilities.
• Strengthening the safety of inspectors during high-risk checks, through operational assistance of the Cyprus Police on the basis of a relevant Memorandum of Understanding.
Strict surveillance and technological tools
The Action Plan for the rational management of RCDs sets strict rules of transparency and traceability:
Compliance check: The mandatory registration in Collective Systems, the preparation and sealing of AKK Management Plans, as well as the full documentation of the delivery of waste to licensed transporters and units are examined. At the same time, high administrative out-of-court fees and the possibility of excluding violators from public contracts are foreseen.
Traffic Tracking (GPS): GPS systems are utilized.
Carrier control: Mandatory visible marking is imposed on licensed vehicles and means of transport (skips), while out of court up to €10,000 and/or revocation of certificates for unregistered collectors are imposed.
Illegal management areas: Mapping and categorization, targeted inspections, while immediate closure is provided for where required.
Licensed Units: Licensed units are audited for compliance with the terms of their license. It is noted that licensed ones are critical to achieving the goals of the 2023 Regulations, including the 70% recycling target by weight.
Creation of a market for recycled materials: An important point is the modification of the technical specifications of public works (e.g. by the Department of Public Works), in order to ensure the priority absorption of the produced recycled AKP materials in embankments and other works, preventing their accumulation in the units.
Combating illegality: Conducting coordinated control operations in cooperation with the Police to deal with organized illegal activities, making use of the criminal provisions of the relevant legislation.
Support of the Recycling Agency in the regulations
The Cyprus Recycling Agency (OAC) expresses its clear position in favour of maintaining and further strengthening the existing Regulations for the Management of Construction and Demolition Waste (AKK). In a letter sent on July 23, 2026 to the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Costas Constantinou, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the OAC, Haris Ioannou, underlines the urgent need for immediate implementation of the current legislation.
The OAC expresses its satisfaction and congratulations for the recent actions and initiatives of the Ministry and the Department of Environment, which aim to strengthen the implementation of the K.A.P. 112/2023 Regulations. As noted, these actions have already brought very positive results, contributing substantially to the improvement of the compliance of the bodies involved.
The Organization emphasizes that the current Regulations are an effective tool for the implementation of the Waste Law. For this reason, it is pointed out that any improvement interventions should focus on further strengthening their implementation and not on their abolition, while declaring the availability of the OAS to provide any necessary assistance in the context of joint efforts.
This position of the OAS follows the announcements and measures already launched by the Department of Environment for the implementation of the legislation (RAA 112/2023).
The Department of Environment has already taken a series of substantial actions, such as sending letters to the General Accounting Office and all stakeholders for the incorporation of AKK management terms during the announcement of public and technical projects.
Furthermore, on the instructions of the competent Minister, more than 100 inspections were carried out at construction sites, issuing 30 out-of-court regulations totalling €21,000 to combat illegal dumps.
Recycled materials for the Dénia – Astromeritis highway
At the same time, the competent authorities are promoting the use of recycled materials in public works and embankments, the creation of a single multi-departmental electronic platform for the monitoring of excavation waste, as well as the evaluation of new circular economy models, such as Extended Producer Responsibility schemes.
The Department of Public Works, in turn, has proceeded with the use of recycled materials in various works including works for the installation of services and pipes, concreting of pre-prepared pavement products and construction of asphalt from reclaimed asphalt.
The use of recycled materials in embankment works is planned to start from the tender documents of the project for the construction of the Denia - Astromeritis highway and then to be extended to other projects.
