Welcome to today's press conference on ensuring the production of recycled irrigation pipe from agricultural plastic waste in the context of the circular economy. The recycling of agricultural plastic waste, through the ReCyfilm Project, is an initiative of Elysee Irrigation Ltd, in partnership with the Agricultural Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Frederick University.
Increasing the recycling of plastics used in agriculture, such as soil cover films or plastic greenhouses, helps to achieve the target set by the European Commission to increase the recycling of plastic waste produced in Europe to more than 50% by 2030. The management of plastic waste of agricultural origin is also a huge challenge for our country, since, through studies carried out, the latest being that of Frederick University, it emerges that in Cyprus agricultural plastic waste of about a thousand tonnes is produced annually.
Pilot actions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment for the collection and management of agricultural waste have demonstrated the need for an integrated approach, in the context of extended producer responsibility. In this direction, draft Regulations have been prepared and will soon be forwarded to the Legal Service for legislative review, according to which producers, i.e. those who place plastic products for agricultural use on the market, have the obligation to establish individual or collective management systems, so that it is possible to deliver the waste produced to designated collection points.
The ReCyfilm Project, funded by the Research and Innovation Foundation under the "Restart 2016-2020" programmes, comes to contribute to the above effort by providing an alternative solution to the management and use of some plastic agricultural waste, turning it into useful materials that, as a raw material, can be reintegrated into the production process. As a result of the project-related collaboration between Elysee Irrigation Ltd, the Agricultural Research Institute and Frederick University, a new product, the Recyfilm irrigation pipe, was created based on the principles of the circular economy. The installation and use of a small quantity of ReCyfilm pipes has already been piloted by the Forestry Department at the Athalassa Environmental Information Centre, with encouraging, initial results.
Friends,
The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment is promoting policies for the rational management of municipal waste through the new Waste Management Strategy and the Municipal Waste Prevention Programme. These policies include measures aimed at reducing and managing plastic waste, such as extended producer responsibility, rational planning and reuse, repair and reconstruction of waste.
In the above context, our Ministry supports initiatives such as the one presented today for the recovery of plastic waste and its conversion into new circular economy products. From the beginning, we have stood by ReCyfilm's initiative, supporting the promotion of the new circular product and contributing to the creation of a model that will create the conditions for its inclusion in public procurement through Green Public Procurement. At the same time, through the aforementioned Regulations, the organised collection of plastic waste of agricultural origin for management and recycling is ensured.
In conclusion, I would like to express my warmest congratulations to Elysee Irrigation Ltd, the Agricultural Research Institute and Frederick University for this important initiative, the results of which are commendable and encouraging, with a positive impact on the environment, society and the economy of our country. I hope that in the near future, more such innovative products will be created through similar waste recovery initiatives.
(MB/EXP)
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