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World Environment Day is today one of the most important environmental institutions and one of the main instruments of the United Nations Environment Programme for raising environmental awareness. The celebration began in 1973 and this year marks its 50th anniversary.
This day reminds humanity that the future of our children and future generations is directly linked to the healthy state of the planet's ecosystems and focuses on the need to preserve, protect and enhance the environment, motivating the public and empowering citizens to actively contribute to efforts for sustainable development and the transition to a circular economy.
Plastic pollution is the theme of this year's World Environment Day. Marine litter, and especially plastic pollution, threatens the oceans, marine animals and even human health. When plastic litter escapes onto land, the plastic often ends up in the marine system where it decomposes into microplastics that can now be easily incorporated into the food web.
Beaches represent one of the main gateways for plastic and other litter to enter the oceans, posing a threat to the marine environment, particularly for Mediterranean islands, as well as an economic challenge for local municipalities dealing with seasonal increases in tourists and litter. Effectively tackling marine and coastal pollution from plastics requires joint response efforts from all countries of the world due to its transboundary nature.
Addressing the issue of marine litter is of particular importance for Cyprus, which participates in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Climate Change established for this purpose. The significant environmental impact of marine litter on economic activities such as coastal tourism and fisheries, on which Cyprus is directly dependent, makes the issue an immediate priority for the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
At the national level, well-designed and operational waste management systems and the development of effective separate collection systems can make a significant contribution to the prevention of marine pollution. Therefore, Cyprus addresses the problem of marine litter through the implementation of its waste management policies. The measures taken include, among others, the compulsory establishment of separate collection systems by local authorities, as well as the recent bans on certain single-use plastic products, which are expected to contribute significantly to the prevention of marine pollution.
In addition to the legislative framework for the rational management of municipal solid waste, the Government is promoting a number of co-funded projects for source separation and separate collection, with an estimated cost of EUR 82 million and a timeframe for implementation. Local authorities will have to implement the scheme by 30 June 2024, introducing source separation and separate collection of their municipal waste, including recyclable streams and organic waste.
In addition to the "Pay As I Throw" scheme, the implementation of projects aimed at further supporting local authorities to strengthen their municipal solid waste collection and management infrastructure has been launched. In particular, actions such as the implementation of an organic waste sorting system at source in mountainous Cyprus, the reduction of municipal solid waste from seaside hotels and related premises in Limassol and Paphos, the establishment of a Waste Management Coordination Body are being promoted, the construction of two reuse centres in Nicosia and Limassol, the supply of community and household composters for organic waste in the countryside, as well as the installation of green recycling kiosks in remote areas of Cyprus.
It is with great pleasure that I am launching today the implementation of the "Household Hazardous Waste Management" project by the Department of Environment and the Nicosia Development Company, which aims to separately collect and divert hazardous waste from households to licensed hazardous waste management facilities for appropriate treatment.
The management of hazardous waste from households is a challenge for the Government, given the mandatory separate collection of hazardous waste by 2025. The project, which is co-funded by Norway Grants Programming 2014-2021, is expected to contribute to achieving this goal. The four towed mobile units will move around Cyprus on a project basis, collecting hazardous household waste, always in cooperation with the local authorities.
I wish you every success in the project.
Thank you.
(BG)
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