At an event to discuss the pay-as-you throw system on Wednesday night, Disy leader and House speaker Annita Demetriou highlighted how the lack of planning has stymied yet another green policy.

Rather than incentivising the public to embrace green policies, the rush to implement them without having the proper infrastructure in place is instead rendering them punitive for the consumer.

The lack of grid storage has screwed over people who invested in photovoltaics while impending green fuel taxes – now briefly on hold – were supposed to get more drivers on public transport. What public transport would that be?

The same scenario is being played out with the pay-as-you-throw confusion. The idea was that the biggest rubbish accumulators would pay more, which is fair to anyone’s mind.

However, then came the question of why some municipalities would still charge a basic annual fee on top, albeit a somewhat smaller amount.

According to articles by Greens MP Charalambos Theopemptou, it’s because some municipalities make a profit off the annual charge and can’t do without this money – so not quite a “pay-as-you-throw” scheme, then.

The agriculture minister has glossed over this question a few times, leaving people with misconceptions that the scheme was just about the cost of the bags.

The system has worked in Aglandjia as it was meant to – no hidden fees – despite reports of some fly-tipping by those who don’t want to pay for the special rubbish bags.

Demetriou said there had been a 41 per cent reduction in rubbish and an 82 per cent increase in recycling in the municipality since the rollout some years back.

The scheme was to have been implemented at a national level in June last year but the Disy leader said “it remains unenforceable due to a lack of coordination and proper preparation.” 

“When the right infrastructure for final waste treatment does not exist, how can we talk about sorting at source? When issues concerning relevant studies are still pending, when appropriate preparation has not been made… when issues of insufficient income are raised,” she said.

In other words, if people take control over their own rubbish output to try and save money, municipalities fear they’ll lose out financially.

Theopemptou said that Municipal Law had contained a provision that in the event a local authority implemented the pay-as-you throw system, it was not allowed to charge an annual fee on top. However, this was quietly amended in 2021 leaving it open for municipalities to add the annual charge, he said.

Demetriou said municipalities were rightly concerned about their financial sustainability as it concerns the scheme but consumers were also “rightly reacting to the prospect of being burdened with additional fees and charges”.

Yes, it is a dilemma but it would be grossly unfair if some municipalities were allowed to add a fixed fee on top of the cost of the bags while others didn’t. If people feel ripped off, many more could resort to fly-tipping. The powers-that-be will then have much bigger problems on their hands but they would only have themselves to blame.