Green Dot Cyprus on Monday sought to reassure the public it is doing what it can to deal with disruptions to collection of recyclable material, following the non-renewal of a contract with the sole licensed facility for managing PMD packaging in the Limassol and Paphos districts.

“Green Dot Cyprus wishes to reassure the public it is making every effort possible, within lawful procedures, to find a permanent and sustainable solution to the matter,” it said.

The company stressed it bears no responsibility for the failure to reach agreement with Barracuda Intertrade Ltd, nor for the suspension of operations of the sorting center for recyclable materials.

Recycling collection and processing services are facing disruption, with issues reported in Nicosia, while the halt in collaboration between Green Dot Cyprus and Barracuda has affected services in Limassol and Paphos.

In Nicosia, residents have reported inconsistent collection of recyclable materials for the past three weeks.

In response to inquiries, Green Dot confirmed there have been failures in the collection of PMD (plastics, metal, drink cartons) and paper in parts of Nicosia municipality over the past few weeks.

The company stated it has taken immediate action within its contract with the collection contractor, responsible for the execution of the collection.

Meantime due to the termination of the agreement between Green Dot and Barracuda for the sorting and processing of recyclables collected from Limassol and Paphos, the company has had to seek temporary solutions.

Green Dot said whereas household waste from these regions continues to be managed appropriately and that paper still goes to Barracuda, the change affects PMD materials.

These materials are now being processed differently, with some being temporarily exported and the remainder being sent to Enerco for energy recovery.

The company meanwhile has applied for a planning permit for its own processing plant in Nicosia, expected to go operational by 2026 to cover all needs of the recycling management system.

Earlier, the Department of the Environment noted that the issue is partly down to a lack of alternative licensed infrastructure. Barracuda is currently the only licensed facility for managing PMD packaging in Limassol and Paphos, but its capacity is insufficient for other districts.