Forced to buy rubbish bags you cannot use

Aglandjia’s new ‘pay anyway’ scheme is about to defeat the purpose of its flagship recycling Pay As You Throw, as aggrieved residents are trying to find ways to make use of the obligatory too many rubbish bags they are now forced to buy in advance. Some are even thinking of giving up on recycling altogether.

Residents have complained to the Cyprus Mail that, according to letters they recently received, they will now have to pay €100 this year and collect a set number of prepaid mauve bags from the municipal offices. The problem is many residents are being forced to purchase more bags than they will use.

Under the previous arrangement, residents bought as many of the mauve bags as they needed from their local kiosks or supermarkets. The mauve bags are used for their non-recyclable household waste. Paper and PMD recycling came under a different scheme. Purchasing the mauve bags was obligatory and any waste in bags of another colour was not collected.

Exasperated resident Martin Roger wrote to the Cyprus Mail saying that he has been using the mauve bags for a few years now. Aglandjia is one of very few areas in Cyprus that use the Pay As You Throw (PAYT) scheme.

“I live in Aglandjia, where we have been using the Pay As You Throw scheme for refuse disposal for a few years now. With [last year’s] local government reforms, we are now part of the Nicosia municipality. I have been purchasing our distinctive mauve rubbish bags from my local kiosk and, as I do proper recycling, I only need one of these bags a week,” Roger said.

“Clever Nicosia municipality has now sent me an invoice for €100 which, once paid, I can exchange at my local municipal office for the equivalent value of bags.”

The problem, Roger complained, is that he doesn’t use the full number of bags he is now forced to buy.

“This was a badly thought out a way to force people to pay in advance into the municipality coffers.”

Under the new arrangement, Aglandjia residents can choose from various combinations of different size mauve bags – but all worth €100 – when pre-paying their rubbish dues, depending on their needs.

These combinations for a total of €100 each are: (a) five rolls of 56-litre bags at €20 each, (b) four rolls of 35l bags at €15 each and two rolls of 56l bags at €20 each, (c) ten rolls of 10l bags at €8 each and one roll of 56l bags at €20, (d) five rolls of 10l bags at €8 each and three rolls of 56l bags at €20 each, and (e) five rolls of 10l bags at €8 each and four rolls of 35l bags at €15 each.

Aglandjia has warned its residents that the last day to pay the €100 tariff is July 31.

The dues can be paid online or at the central municipal treasury or local offices. Residents will then take their receipt to the local office to collect their bags.

Anyone wishing to appeal the fee can do so by filling in a form and presenting all necessary documents.

With the deadline looming overhead and a discouraging process to secure a discount, some residents who use about half of the bags they will be assigned are considering ways to fill their bags so they can get their money’s worth before having to repeat the procedure and get a fresh lot next year.

The irony is that some residents have said they are mulling the possibility of using the bags for the other rubbish they would normally take to collection points and also scrapping recycling altogether or simply to the point that their mauve bags were not going to waste. This will all make a mockery of the PAYT scheme.

To add insult to injury, a few Aglandjia residents have complained to the Cyprus Mail that bags in some batches are ripping and thus are useless, making the few that stay intact quite expensive.

The Cyprus Mail contacted Nicosia municipality, in which Aglandjia was incorporated through last year’s local administration reforms.

“The non implementation of the Pay As You Throw scheme has forced the municipal council to change its programme, with the ultimate aim of securing the cleanliness of the city and make sure that all Aglandjia residents use the proper mauve bag,” the municipality said.

“Unfortunately several residents do not follow the system,” it added.

“Some throw their rubbish in neighbouring municipalities or other parts of Nicosia, since the programme is not yet implemented Cyprus-wide,” it said.

Regarding the €100 tariff, the municipality said it did not just cover the bags, but included “other important cleanliness services offered by the municipality”, such as cleaning pavements and roads.

The municipality clarified that residents were not given the option of paying the dues in instalments.

It said the number of bags was the average used by residents and that anyone with bags left over could use them next year.

“If the quantity is larger than your needs, you can certainly use them next year,” it added.

But next year the residents may have to pay again, presumably for the same number of bags. The municipality has said “it is not known what will be decided for the coming years” and residents would be notified accordingly.

For those who wish to purchase more bags, they will be able to do so.

However, those who have been diligently purchasing the bags from supply points will still have to pay the municipal dues.

Owners renting their property in Aglandjia are responsible for purchasing the bags and getting the money back from their tenants, unless otherwise specified in the contract.

Vacant properties are still obliged to pay, and owners will have to prove that the properties have been empty for at least six months in order to get a 25 per cent discount.

Pensioners are eligible for an allowance, depending on income criteria, that is below €10,324 annually for one person and €15,486 for two people, depending on the composition of the family.

In the meantime, some residents and Aglandjia-based businesses have informed the Cyprus Mail that they have not yet received the letter in question, while others are trying to work the unbudgeted lump sum fees into their monthly expenses and find space under the sink for the unused rolls of bags.