The House environment committee in a meeting on Wednesday said it has identified failures in inspections of the appropriate discarding of construction waste materials.

The implementation of regulations on their management is also lacking.

“We have heard that inspections are only carried out in the morning and [and that there are] many illegal dumpings in the afternoons,” said environment committee chairman and Greens MP Charalambos Theopemptou.

He explained that currently, the biggest issue were gaps in the waste discharge inspection process, which was carried out by government employees who did not work in the afternoon.

Theopemptou explained that due to limitations in the legislation, local authorities were restricted in terms of how they can impose fines. Therefore, 177 local government employees with a broader scope of legal authority have been appointed to ensure easier implementation of the law.

He added that some officials had even been given permission to issue fines if they detect an illegal dump, but that this was technically outside their remit, and that this might even put them at risk of bribery.

The committee chairman then moved to reported issues in the managing of green points. Some house owners who renovate their premises had difficulty transporting the waste materials to the green points accordingly, he said, and called for an increase in the number of recycling spots on the island.

“The rules cannot be changed by House, the rules must be changed by the government,” he said.

Committee member and Disy MP Prodromos Alambritis described the waste management situation on the island as “tragic”.

“We are witnessing the discharging of materials (…) into rivers, onto cliffs, all over the countryside,” he said.

Alambritis called on the government and the environment department to ensure the proper implementation of prevailing legislation, stressing that the cooperation of all stakeholders was needed to combat persisting issues.

Diko MP Chrysanthos Savvidis said the problem was growing exponentially, and that a lack of control in the proper management of waste had been admitted by stakeholders during Wednesday’s meeting.

He said that currently, 13 environmental department inspectors were responsible for carrying out work throughout the entire country, with around 2,500 contractors that needed to be checked.