Waste management, especially municipal waste, which by its nature and quantity has a significant proportion of total production, constitutes a necessity and a priority for Cyprus, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, Costas Kadis has said.
Addressing a seminar on the management of municipal waste by the Local Authorities, Kadis said that the policies and actions put forward by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, aim at a gradual transition to the cyclical economy, adopting ambitious European targets for the reduction of waste production, for the rise in sorting at the source, for the increase of waste reuse and recycling and for the significant reduction of waste that is destined for burial.
The Minister of Agriculture said that the aim is by 2035, the total quantities of municipal waste going to landfill sites to be reduced to 10% of the total quantities produced.
He also said that the Regulations that are being presented today constitute an important step towards the environmental targets set by the Ministry, noting that they are at their final stage of preparation and consultation with the Local Authorities. Their aim, he added, is to define the responsibilities of Local Authorities for the management of municipal waste.
Kadis said that the Regulations provide for the drafting of local action plans to prevent the creation of waste and for the management of municipal waste, the establishment of a Cyprus landfill programme for the sorting at the source and for the separate collection of municipal waste, as well as for the implementation of a single “pay as you throw” system.
He explained that the separate collection will cover both recyclable and organic waste produced by households.
The Minister noted that for the implementation of the Regulations, the Ministry has conducted two studies.
The first study, he said, proposes the requirements of the sorting system at the source and separate collection of organic waste, which will be installed in urban, tourist and rural areas.
The second study is about the pancyprian “pay as you throw” system, which will have to be implemented by the Local Authorities and proposes options for separate collection of recyclable materials in areas not covered by existing producer responsibility systems.
(Cyprus News Agency)
