Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in high-risk waste management facilities such as recyclables, biodegradable waste, construction and demolition waste, end-of-life vehicle waste, electronic and electrical equipment waste, and others.
Due to their high risk, they must undergo frequent monitoring and inspection.
After all, the possibility of accidents cannot be ruled out, no matter what measures are taken. Therefore, the operators of waste management facilities should take all reasonably practicable measures daily and systematically to prevent fire hazards.
Approaching the spring season, the risks of fires in such facilities increase, and it is necessary to ensure the implementation of the 10 measures adopted at the highest level, in a meeting chaired by the President of the Republic in the presence of the Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment and Labor, the Deputy Minister to the President, and other state officials. At the said meeting on 26/7/2023, a series of measures were decided upon to prevent and reduce the risks of fire outbreaks in waste management units.
As part of the effort for the most effective possible handling and prevention of fire hazards in specific waste management facilities, joint inspection campaigns are carried out with the Fire Service.
Following these joint inspections, the Fire Service submits relevant reports with recommendations and measures to be taken by the facilities to prevent and address fire incidents.
The Department of Environment, through letters to the facilities, requested that they take all necessary measures according to the observations of the Fire Service.
Following the compliance letters, repeat inspections were conducted at the facilities by inspectors from the Department of Environment to check their compliance with the oral and written instructions given to them, and penalties were imposed in similar cases.
Following the campaign and the relevant inspection reports, immediate implementation measures and penalties provided for in the current legislation are taken on a case-by-case basis, including compliance letters, extrajudicial settlement, reporting to the Prosecutor General for criminal prosecution and/or prohibitory notice.
Further joint inspections by the Department of Environment, the Fire Service, and the Labor Inspection Department are planned for 40 selected waste management units, as well as other high-risk facilities, industries, and warehouses in the upcoming March.
Recently, a supplementary budget was approved by the Ministry of Finance for the creation of a separate Environmental Inspection Special Department within the Department of Environment, solely responsible for environmental controls/inspections.
It concerns Measure 10 – Creation of an Inspection Branch in the Department of Environment, and it is envisaged to recruit 15 officers and technicians who will be dedicated exclusively to inspections. The implementation of this department is expected within the first half of 2024.
Mesure 9 – The Measures for Emergency Plans are being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment. The Environmental Department has held meetings with representatives from the Fire Service, the Department of Environment, the Department of Labour Inspection, Civil Defence, the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, the Department of Town Planning and Housing, as well as the municipalities of Tseri, Idalion, Geri, Ypsonas, the community of Kalavasos, and the municipalities of Larnaca and Aradippou, and the community council of Lympia for the industrial zone of Koshi.
It has been agreed to hire an Inspector through the Department of Environment with a service procurement, who will act under the guidance of the chief inspector to monitor the Industrial Zones of Idalion, Tseri, and Geri. A similar inspector has already been employed for the Vasiliko Energy Center and the Kalavasos Industrial Zone. The inspector service procurement model is also being seriously considered by the Ypsonas municipality.
Civil Defence is preparing Emergency Plans only for facilities falling under the SEVESO Directive, as stated in the relevant Regulations (G.D.P. 347/2015). Therefore, no such plans have been made for the industrial zones of Idalion, Geri, and Tseri, as there are no SEVESO units in those areas. The same applies to the Kalavasos and Ypsonas Industrial Zones.
Additionally, the Department of Labour Inspection is implementing Measure 7 – Additional obligations for units adjacent to SEVESO units.
A draft regulation has been prepared aiming to increase obligations and safety measures in workplaces where chemicals are present in quantities equal to or greater than 75% of the threshold quantities specified in existing regulations, in workplaces adjacent to SEVESO units, and in workplaces within the Vasiliko Energy Center.
The Department of Environment is implementing six measures. In close collaboration with the Fire Service, it is implementing Measure 1 – Inspections of high-risk waste management units. A list of 40 waste management facilities has been prepared, and an inspection program has been developed.
The introduction of annual evaluation of High-Risk Waste Management Units through joint inspections by the Department of Environment and the Fire Service has been decided.
Measure 2 – Updating and Amendment of Waste Management Permits. Since the process of amending Waste Management Permits is time-consuming, it has been decided to prepare a Ministerial Decree by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment for fire prevention measures according to Article 54(5)(b) of the Waste Laws, which will also specify transitional periods of their application.
Measure 3 – Guarantee amounts and possible increase of penalties. The amount of guarantees does not require legislative regulation, as it is determined by the Director of the Department of Environment. According to the Waste Laws from 2011 to 2022, extrajudicial settlement of fines up to €20,000, administrative sanctions up to €500,000, and criminal prosecution with penalties of up to 3 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to €500,000 are provided.
Measure 4 – Safety distances between waste heaps. Reassessment of safety distances between stored waste heaps will be achieved through general terms prepared by the Fire Service.
Measure 5 – Producer Responsibility for additional waste streams. Regarding recyclable materials of low value or plastics for which recycling is difficult, etc., the use of fluctuating fees through collective systems operating for various waste streams will be examined.
Measure 6 – Creation of a Specialized Team. The Department of Environment informed the relevant stakeholders, by letter dated 31/10/2023, that it has been decided to establish a team of specialists coordinated by the chief inspector of the Department of Environment, with the participation of the Fire Service, officials of the Department of Environment, and other Departments of the Ministry.
Evaluation of existing industrial zones and areas
The Department of Town Planning and Housing, implementing Measure 8 – Evaluation of Existing Industrial Zones and Areas, following consultation with the Department of Environment, proposed to the Minister of Interior the modification of the provisions of the Local Plan of Southern Nicosia, to limit permitted nuisance industrial developments within industrial zones. Similar restrictions were imposed on the provisions of the Tseri Local Plan.
As for the Category A Industrial Zone of Geri, which falls within the boundaries of the Nicosia Local Plan, the Department of Town Planning and Housing is considering other solutions until the revision of the said Local Plan, such as the designation of a White Zone for the exemption of nuisance industrial categories.
At the same time, it prepared maps by province, presenting the proximity of industrial and craft zones and areas to Development Zones.
These maps indicate Category A high nuisance zones that are closer to residential zones and will serve as the basis for the ongoing consultation with all stakeholders and the further assessment of the degree of risk and incompatibility of these zones.
