Cyta celebrates fifth year as ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ organisation

We are aiming for a 10 per cent reduction in landfill waste by 2035, Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis said at an event held to celebrate Cyta’s fifth consecutive year as a “Zero Waste to Landfill” organisation.

As the first organisation in Cyprus to hold this title, Cyta managed to recycle or reuse 97.55 per cent of its waste in 2020 and was verified for the fifth time by TUV Austria Cyprus general manager Sousanna Charalambidou.

As part of the celebrations, five new environmental corners were launched at Cyta buildings, as well as the largest composter in Cyprus, which was inaugurated by Kadis in the presence of Cyta president Michalis Ioannides and environment commissioner Klelia Vassiliou.

“Wise waste management based on the principles of the circular economy is a priority for the European Union and one of the key objectives of the Green Deal,” he said, adding that the ministry will prioritise actions contributing towards these goals.

To this end, Kadis added that the ministry is working on developing an adequate infrastructure and enshrine in law procedures that will allow Cyprus to up its use of renewable energy sources and recycle or reuse up to 55 per cent of its household waste by 2025, 60 per cent by 2030 and 65 per cent by 2035.

“The government has already formulated the necessary legal framework that will ensure municipal waste is sorted at the source and collected separately, and is promoting the expansion of the Green Point network.”

The minister added that the ministry is looking towards regulating manufacturer responsibility for additional waste streams like medical waste and plastic agricultural waste.

Finally, using Cyta as an example, he said organisations and companies can play an important role in the implementation of government policies.