The presidential palace received zero waste to landfill’ certification on Tuesday, becoming the island’s first government building to hit the target.

The certification was presented during a ceremony in the presidential palace’s orchard.

“Cyprus and the presidency are changing. They are becoming greener, friendlier,” first lady Philippa Karsera said, explaining how the palace met the objective, starting by replacing bottled water with water dispensers.

The first lady said the initiative at the presidential palace started last year and step-by-step the building and its grounds have achieved the zero waste to landfill aims.

“We managed to reduce waste by over 90 per cent and to fully recycle. If we can, so can others,” she said.

She said the initiative started with small steps. “The purchase of bottled water, which was for years provided for all employees at the presidency, has been abolished and a lot of money has been saved. Water dispensers have been installed and everyone has been given reusable bottles.”

Next came recycling bins and a large composting unit – the largest non-industrial one – in a specially designated “environmental corner”.

The grounds, including the orchard, received an environmentally friendly facelift, with flowerbeds and wildflower areas to attract bees, aiming at supporting “the bee population, wild pollinators and in general the insect fauna of the area.”

Artificial springs and nests have also been installed for birds – including owls – and bats.

Indigenous flowers have also been planted, such as roses, jasmine, geraniums and a variety of herbs, to fill the air with the scents of Cyprus.

“Today we are proud because we became the first zero waste government building, following the impressive examples of other countries and our aim is for the presidency to constitute a model of transition to the circular economy and to encourage awareness actions,” Karsera said.

Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou referred to the symbolism of launching the zero waste project with the presidential palace, adding that other government buildings would follow.

“The success of the initiative cannot depend solely on the actions we apply, but also the viable practices we adopt every day,” she said.

The minister said every step, from producing less waste to recycling at the workplace “brings us closer to meeting national goals.”

Environment Commissioner Antonia Theodosiou said that, beyond establishing the presidential palace as an environmental management model, the orchard is also being upgraded with dry stone walls and pathways, true to methods used in antiquity.

She said it was necessary to draft a national strategy to spread the technique, including public education.