The government needs to get its act together concerning the waste treatment facility at Pentakomo, the head of the Akel party said on Thursday.

Stefanos Stefanou was speaking after a visit to the Pentakomo plant, having earlier in the day toured the other facility at Koshi.

He noted that Cyprus faces infringement proceedings from the EU concerning Pentakomo, while at the same time it remains unknown whether a local investigation will lead to criminal indictments.

“All these things give the whiff of a scandal,” said the Akel boss.

“It is well known that there exist huge problems with the operation of the two facilities [at Pentakomo and Koshi], problems arising obviously due to bad handling and poor planning.”

He called on the government and authorities to quickly move to address the issue, which touches upon the environment as well as public health.

“We need to deal with these issues before they turn into a crisis,” Stefanou asserted.

“We discard garbage, we tell people to recycle, which involves a cost to municipalities, but then we recycle at the source or sort at the source, and in the end these materials do not get recycled but instead get buried. That’s unacceptable and must be dealt with.”

According to the Akel leader, having spoken with technocrats he got the strong impression of a lack of overall planning when it comes to waste management.

“Missing timetables has become the norm, rather than the exception,” he remarked.

Akel, Pentakomo, Stefanou

Stefanou also pointed out that as of June 2027, responsibility for managing the Pentakomo facility will go to the Limassol district local government organisation (EOA).

“We will then see the same phenomenon repeat itself: the central government will pass the buck to the EOA. Possibly this may indicate an intention to drag things along until the EOA takes over, and then the government will point the finger at the EOA.”

Responding later in the day, the agriculture ministry spoke of “facile criticism”, insisting that the government is already addressing the issues at Pentakomo.

“The true situation at Pentakomo is that when the Water Development Department (WDD) took over, the facility was in a derelict state.

“Equipment that was almost immobilised, a fire suppression system that was out of order, and abandoned installations.”

Since taking charge, the WDD has entered into 180 contracts relating to repairs, maintenance and upgrades.

“All this,” said the ministry, “in order to create an integrated safety system out of nothing, which resulted in the facility remaining operational and the Limassol district avoiding a health crisis.”

The Pentakomo Integrated Waste Management Facility, which serves the Limassol region, is currently under the management of the WDD, which took over from a private contractor.

Co-financed by the EU, the plant is undergoing major repairs and upgrades following years of operational difficulties, management disputes, and ongoing police fraud investigations.

The facility began operating in November 2017. Although EU funds were included on condition that they be used to produce Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF), illegal disposal of most of the waste began from the early stages of operation. The machinery was gradually damaged, leading to the current state, which reportedly requires 100 per cent landfill.

Following a government-ordered inquiry spanning almost four years, in November 2023 a dossier was handed over to the attorney-general’s office; to date, no prosecutions have been filed.

Environmental organisations have been complaining about the disposal of thousands of tonnes of untreated municipal, medical and even hazardous waste. They report that communities surrounding the Pentakomo facility find the situation unbearable, as piles of rubbish are left under the sun, producing an overwhelming stench.

In December 2024 in parliament, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou had presented the timelines for the proper functioning of the Pentakomo and Koshi facilities. She stated that construction work at the facilities was scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2028, with the new upgraded facilities to be delivered in 2029.