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It was held on Tuesday, October 17, at the Presidential Palace, a press conference on the "Zero Waste to Landfill" action and the implementation of the joint initiative of First Lady Filippas Carcera Christodoulides and Environment Commissioner Dr. Maria Panayiotou to transform the Presidential Palace into a Zero Waste to Landfill Building, which was announced on 24 April 2023.
The press conference was held by First Lady Philippa Carcera Christodoulides, Environment Commissioner Dr Maria Panayiotou, Chairman of the Board of Directors of A.F.H.S. Cyprus Ltd Mr Chris Christodoulou and Associate Professor of the Open University of Cyprus Dr Antonis Zorpas.
With the implementation of the initiative to transform the Presidential Palace into a Zero Waste Building, the Presidential Palace seeks to become a beacon of ecological consciousness, the First Lady stressed in her address, while she added, among others, that this is a pioneering initiative that aspires to highlight the Presidential Palace as a model of environmental responsibility and to make it a positive model and example for other state structures and services, as well as for the private sector, with multiple and horizontal benefits, environmentally, economically and socially.
Referring to the implementation of the initiative, she said that recycling bins have been placed indoors and outdoors at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia and the Presidential Residence in Troodos, as well as composting bins, while a model environmental corner for recycling various waste streams, such as glass, paper, plastic, clothing, electrical and electronic appliances, batteries, etc. He added that water filters were installed in the Presidential Palace and a reusable water bottle was given as a gift to all staff to reduce plastic, while the first training on Zero Waste to Landfill was held at the Presidential Palace on September 7 for about a hundred officials, not only from the Presidency, but from all Ministries and Deputy Ministries.
As for the next steps, the First Lady said that the intention is to utilize all fruit trees and herbs so that there is no waste and that there are thoughts of organic crops and a model playground, stressing that funds are being sought from the EU and from companies so that there is no burden on the state budget.
Referring to the "Zero Waste to Landfill" initiative, the Environment Commissioner said the aim is "to substantially reshape our relationship with the environment, with the ultimate goal of creating a greener and more sustainable Cyprus for future generations". Dr Panagiotou stressed that this effort, announced on the occasion of Earth Day last April, was not just an announcement but was combined with concrete actions at the Presidential Pervoli, which is part of an urban green lung of about 15 hectares in the heart of the capital. He said that in collaboration with relevant departments, artificial nests for human birds, small birds and bats were installed, watering troughs were installed to meet water needs and the area was upgraded to a pollinator garden. These actions are part of an integrated approach guided by the governance programme's objective of ensuring the right of citizens to live in sustainable cities and communities, with rational management of natural resources and protection and conservation of Cyprus' biodiversity, he noted.
As part of the implementation of the "Zero Waste to Landfill" initiative, Dr Panayiotou said, plastic water bottles were eliminated for all employees of the Presidency, including members of the Presidential Guard, who were also provided with a reusable water bottle with the slogan "Zero Waste to Landfill". The motto was chosen because the effort focuses on zero waste with a major, positive impact on the environment and our lives, he said. He added that water coolers were installed in all Presidency buildings to end the need to order disposable plastic water bottles for these buildings, as well as two composters at the Presidential Palace, which were provided by the Strovolos Municipality. He also noted that recycling bins for the main waste streams were also provided to the Presidential Palace for a total value of 9,835 euros by the Presidents of the collective recycling systems DI.HA, AFES, WEEE, Green Dot, whom he thanked. The scientific monitoring and advisory guidance of the conversion of the Presidential building into a zero waste to landfill building was undertaken by the team of the Open University of Cyprus, led by Associate Professor Antonis Zorpa.
The Environment Commissioner noted that this effort was transferred from the Presidential Palace to all Ministries and Deputy Ministries, and that for this purpose, an Advisory Guide for the Conversion of Ministry and Deputy Ministry Buildings into Zero Waste Buildings was prepared. "All the political heads adopted the Guide and gave instructions for the formation of teams and the appointment of heads to oversee the process. It should be noted that the Guide has been transferred and adopted by both the Cyprus Police and the Fire Brigade and the Forestry Department, with the aim of turning their own buildings and stations into 'zero waste buildings in landfills'," Dr. Panayiotou pointed out.
Mr. Chris Christodoulou, representing the four collective waste management systems, namely A.F.H.S. Cyprus, Green Dot Cyprus, WEEE Cyprus and DI.HA, said that his presence at the press conference actively demonstrates their support for the effort to implement the "Zero Waste to Landfill" programme at the Presidential Palace and the Ministries and Deputy Ministries of the State. He said they have proceeded to sponsor indoor and outdoor bins to facilitate the process of sorting at source, waste generated in the workplace and annihilate waste that ends up in landfills. "At the Presidential Palace, battery recycling bins, packaging recycling bins for PMD, paper and glass and recycling bins for electrical/electronic equipment, ink and toner were installed," he explained.
Dr. Zorpas, in his own welcome address, said, among other things, that its Presidential Palace is the first at the EU level to hold the Environmental Management System under the European EMAS Regulation. "For this success, I feel proud of my scientific team at the Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and Sustainability Engineering of the Open University of Cyprus, for taking on this great responsibility and carrying it out", he noted and added that within the framework of EMAS, the foundations for the rational management and control of environmental impacts have been laid at the Presidential Palace. Finally, he said that the zero waste programmes fully reflect the philosophy of several UN Sustainable Development Goals such as Goal 3: Good health and well-being, Goal 12 which refers to responsible consumption and production, Goal 13 which refers to actions against climate change.
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