Two thirds of Cyprus will be ‘pay as you throw’ by year’s end

Almost two thirds of the Cyprus will be using the waste management scheme “Pay as you throw” by the end of the year, the environment department announced on Wednesday.

The department said the system is coming into effect on July 1, and six municipalities accounting for 30 per cent of the population are ready to finish their studies in March and will set prices for bags and bins.

The municipalities will also clarify how many dumpsters are needed.

Senior official at the Department of Environment Eleni Constantinidou told the Cyprus News Agency that these six municipalities are: Latsia municipality, Lakatamia municipality, Ayia Varvara, the southern Nicosia municipality, Aradippou municipality, Larnaca municipality, East Limassol municipality and Polemidia municipality.

According to the department, by June 2024 the Nicosia municipality, the western Limassol municipality, and the Limassol municipality are expected to complete their studies.

These areas account for 37 per cent of the population.

Another nine areas accounting for 21.5 per cent of the population are set to finish their studies in the summer or at the start of September, while another is expected to finish in November, which accounts for 11.15 per cent of the population.

Based on a presentation of a study done for the Aradippou municipality and the preliminary data, there is an estimate of 6 cents per litre on bags, i.e. a ten-litre bag will cost 60 cents, a 35-litre bag €2, and a 56-litre bag €3.33.