I am a foreigner who relocated to Cyprus 1.5 years ago with my Cypriot wife. I would like to draw your attention to the unfortunate condition of the field opposite the Cyprus Olympic Committee, in Strovolos, Nicosia.

I have lived in many European countries: Italy, Switzerland, France and the UK. While every country has its own mismanagement issues (no place is perfect, after all), I don’t recall ever witnessing such a thing.

The above-mentioned field has become an illegal dumping site, where anyone no longer needing their couch, bag of old bedsheets, clothes, TV sets, water boilers, computers, or plastic chairs can go and get rid of them. Not only that, but nearly every inch of the field is filled with plastic bottles, plastic bags, plastic containers, coffee cups, empty cans of soda and all sorts of non-biodegradable items.

Some of these appear to have been carried by the wind from the often-overflowing garbage bins of the nearby apartment blocks, but others are clearly items thrown from cars (I personally witnessed this happening a couple of times) or simply left behind.

A prime example of the latter is the kites that brought so much joy to kids and grown-ups alike on Green Monday but were thoughtlessly abandoned once the festivities were over (a great lesson to teach your kids).

Who, in 2024, with all the worldwide efforts made to sensitise the general population to the very real threats that our planet is facing, still tosses away their personal and household garbage with such reckless disregard for the environment?

It is shocking that a municipality or state can be so neglectful and absent in managing their territory. What about placing some littering prohibition signs or some bins that somebody might at least, for a second, be tempted to use? What about installing CCTV cameras and perhaps starting to issue fines where and when appropriate? Because, let’s face it, fines and legal actions have an immediate and direct impact on people’s uncivil and barbaric behaviours.

Andrea Valente