The aim is that, by 2035, the total quantities of municipal waste going to landfills will be reduced to 10% of the total quantities generated, said Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Costas Kadis.
At the same time, the Agriculture Minister said that the aim is to implement, within 2023, a programme covering the design and introduction of source separation and separate collection systems in municipalities and communities for all municipal waste streams, as well as the implementation of a pricing policy through the Pay As I Fly systems with a prepaid bag.
In his address on Monday at the event "Pay as you throw, the next day of waste and the creation of a green Cyprus", during which the "Separate and Earn" programme implemented by the Municipality of Aglantzia was presented. Kadis said that the general issue of protecting the natural environment and promoting green growth are priorities for the Government and the State.
According to today's announcement by the Ministry of Justice, the Minister added in his speech that "waste is one of the biggest environmental, social and economic challenges facing our country today, since its rational management will contribute to ensuring the protection of the environment and public health, as well as to the implementation of sustainable development.
The Minister of Agriculture also said that in order to achieve the goal of the fastest possible transition to a circular economy, on the basis of the policies and measures promoted throughout the European Union, the separate collection of recyclable streams, he said, "should be significantly increased in Cyprus, since the preparation for recycling and reuse of municipal waste should reach 55% by 2025, 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035".
"These targets make the adoption of measures such as source sorting and separate collection an immediate priority for the state, together with the implementation of the Pay As I Fly system, as this is what will provide the necessary financial incentives for citizens to reduce and effectively source-sort municipal waste," he stressed.
He said that the universal implementation of such programmes in all municipalities and communities is one of the main objectives of the Ministry of Agriculture, adding that in this direction, the Environment Department of the Ministry of Agriculture has already started implementing a programme to support local authorities with co-financing from the Structural Funds, with a budget of 25 million euros.
The Minister of Agriculture said that the programme will cover the design and establishment of sorting systems at
