By the end of 2019, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Costas Kadis, aspires that the law on the new way of calculating garbage has been approved, which will allow the implementation of programs based on the "I pay as much as I fly" philosophy.
In an interview with KYPE, the Minister of Agriculture stated that after studying various models, however, a program is considered more prevalent which is implemented in various European countries and is based on the purchase of a specific garbage bag, with relatively high costs.
"The citizen will try to fill as few garbage bags as possible because with more bags he will pay more. "So it will be pushed to send in another direction the materials that can be recycled and the bags to be filled only with those that cannot be recycled," he said.
Waste that will go to waste treatment plants, such as those of Kosi and Pentakomo, can only be disposed of in this bag, the cost of which will act as an incentive to do more recycling.
"The way of calculating garbage will be differentiated, which will be based on a fairer approach, that is, on what everyone produces," the Minister clarified.
The specific bill, which provides programs for "sorting at the source" and "I pay as much as I can" is currently in public consultation, while in the coming days the Minister will have meetings on the issue with the Association of Municipalities and Communities.
He expressed the hope that the consultation will be completed in the coming weeks, so that the bill can go to the legal service for a legal inspection.
"We hope that the consideration of this bill will be short because it is very important. Immediately after, we will have to go from the Council of Ministers to the Parliament for a discussion. "I would be satisfied if this process could be completed in 2019, but there are unbalanced factors such as the legal inspection and the debate in Parliament," he noted.
All responsibilities for the issue of waste management were concentrated two years ago in the Ministry of Agriculture, ceasing to be scattered in the services of different Ministries. The issue has been mismanaged, delayed and even entangled in the past, while the Republic of Cyprus has repeatedly faced the risk of fines being imposed by the European Union for delaying the closure of landfills.
"One of the biggest challenges for our Ministry is the proper management of waste for environmental purposes, good administration and improving the quality of life," said the Minister.
He cited the example of the communities adjacent to Kotsiatis, whose representatives expressed their satisfaction and thanks to the Minister after the closure of the landfill, which had been degrading their quality of life for years.
"What I told them was to wait a little longer and thank me later, when they will see the rehabilitation in Kotsiatis and Vati, which has already been planned with specific funds", and as a result, as the Minister said, to "No one recognizes these areas by their positive transformation."
Support to municipalities in the transitional period
At the same time, when asked about the reactions of the mayors of the greater Nicosia area, due to the increase of the garbage transportation fee after the closure of Kotsiatis, the Minister of Agriculture noted that the Ministry intends to support the municipalities in this transitional period.
He said that the Ministry has been consulting with the municipalities for a long time on the issue, with the municipalities raising the issue of their subsidy in the last meeting they had with the Minister on February 26.
"What we have asked them is to provide us with evidence that confirms that, indeed, with the legislative tools given to them, through which they can increase their income, they will not be able to cover the additional costs that arise," he said. .
He added that they agreed with the municipalities that they should cooperate in order to really move in new directions of more rational municipal waste management, which will respect the environment, the health of the citizens and will lead to a better quality of life. Waste treatment, he said, must be in line with the circular economy, meaning that the waste of one process is the raw material for another process.
He also admitted that there is a problem of increased costs after the closure of Kotsiatis, since there is a difference between simple burial and management in special factories, and said that he will discuss the issue with the mayors when they bring him the information he requested.
He also said that at the meeting on February 26, the municipalities were presented with the management methods that exist for all waste streams, whether they are pruning, bulky, rubble or other types of waste, for which, as he said, there is at least one unit available. management. However, as he mentioned, it is a fact that the management in these units has some costs which the municipalities will be asked to pay by asking for the assistance of the citizens.
"We have given legislative tools to the municipalities to increase the amounts they will receive from their citizens, but setting a limit (ceiling) because we do not want the citizen to be affected to a great extent," the Minister noted. He added that they will discuss how to strengthen the municipalities, if the data that will be brought to him show that the cost for the municipalities is higher than what can be covered under this ceiling.
He clarified, however, that the Ministry's goal is a more radical and comprehensive solution to the problem, by reducing the waste that ends up in the management units, so that the costs are finally reduced to a minimum for both citizens and municipalities.
"We will support the Municipalities to implement such programs. My intention was the following: Instead of the municipality now receiving an amount, due to the increase of the waste management fee in Kosi in relation to their previously lower landfill fee in Kotsiatis, to receive funding to build a new infrastructure, a "A new program, which will be based on this new philosophy, will reduce waste and will bring about a reduction in the costs of both the Municipalities and the citizens", said the Minister.
He also noted that for some waste streams, for which there are currently limited options, new plants are underway at the initiative of the private sector. These units, which will be operational in the coming months, will increase competition and reduce prices.
Source: KYPE