The issue of waste management from construction and demolition, was discussed on Wednesday by the Parliamentary Committee on Environment, which calls on the relevant government departments to indicate to interested businessmen potential sites for such activities.
The chairman of the committee, Charalambos Theopeptou, in a statement to the CPR after the meeting, said they were continuing to discuss this "complex issue."
In the past, he said, they had the difficulty that the various professionals involved in either ski transport or earthworks were not organized in associations. "Now they are organized into associations and for the first time we have the views of the associations on the changes that will be made to the bill," he added.
He said they are looking at the paragraphs of the bill and the comments of the professionals one by one.
"It's a complex issue, a lot of people are affected, even their business if it stays open, so we are looking at it very carefully to see that we can succeed in protecting the environment and at the same time people can keep their businesses and work more properly and within the European Directive," he said.
A big problem, he noted, is finding space for such activities.
Professionals, he added, claim that they are being made difficult by the relevant government departments in finding space to take materials from demolitions, or materials taken out of a structure.
"We had a big problem in some areas where there was no provision at all," he said, adding that a truck from the Famagusta area cannot cross half of Cyprus to pick up rubble for processing. "The costs will skyrocket," Theopeptou added.
"That's why we want to have the cooperation of the Town Planning Department," he said, which should indicate to interested parties, possible areas. "We don't find resistance from anyone to do the legal thing, they just can't find space," he added.
In four weeks, the single-use plastics bill is expected to go to the plenary.
The committee has concluded its debate on the single-use plastics bill, which, according to Mr. Theopeptou, should have been debated, passed and in place since last July.
He said the text would be distributed to all MPs and in three weeks they would be able to table amendments so that in the fourth week it would go to a vote.
Source: CNA
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