Description/Objective

According to the Waste Regulations of 2022 (Municipal Waste Management by Local Authorities) , Local Authorities (LAs) will have to implement until 31/12/2023 a six-year Local Action Plan for waste generation prevention and waste management within their administrative boundaries. This Local Action Plan includes the “Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT)” Project.

Through this Project, it is pursued the sorting at the source, the separated collection, reuse, recycle and waste reduction that is intended for landfill. The Project will be implemented by clusters of LAs, which through the programme will be economically enhanced in order to prepare a 6-year Local Waste Management Plan (2024-2029), sustainability researches, supply and installation of the proper infrastructure for establishing the sorting at the source and separated collection, implementation of pricing policy with a prepaid bag for mixed waste management and for the enhancement of the monitoring mechanism for the implementation and operation of the programme (education and training of LAs employees).

In addition, through the Project, a planning will be made for dealing with the access to an online information system for the registration of evidence and data and the evaluation of the programme, as well as the planning and implementation of a pan-Cypriot and local campaign for information and awareness of the wider local citizenship.

The project is divided and implemented into the following categories of premises:

A) Households / apartment buildings / small producers / offices, stores, supermarkets, bakeries/confectioneries (fixed amount and prepaid bag)

Implementation of the PAYT system for households, apartment buildings and small producers as follows:

• Prepaid bag (pricing) and flat fee for residual waste
• Fixed amount for residual waste
• Recycling bags (paper / cardboard packaging, plastic / metal packaging / Tetra Pak)
• Grey bins for organic waste (for kitchen and garden)
• Glass collection from collection points (bell type bins)
• Source separation of specific waste is recommended (waste electrical and electronic equipment – WEEE, batteries, clothing, bulky items, prunings, hazardous household waste).

B) Large and Specialised Producers* (fixed amount and prepaid bin)

Implementation of the PAYT system for large and specialised producers as follows:

• Prepaid bin for residual waste
• Fixed amount for residual waste
• Compressors / presses / bins for recyclable materials
• Grey bins and small stand-alone composters for organic waste
•  Glass collection from collection points (bell type bins)
• Cooperation with facilities and other source separation programmes implemented by LAs.

Moreover, through the Project there will be a design that will refer to access an online information system for the purpose of entering data and information and for the evaluation of the programme itself, as well as the planning and implementation of a nationwide and local information and awareness raising campaign targeting the wider local population.

Expected Benefits/Outcomes

The expected results are the following:

• Contribution to the increase of the percentages of recycling and waste recovery
• Contribution to the reduction of the percentage of the waste that ends in landfill sites
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by the reduction of the landfill sites
• Design of sorting at the source and separated collection systems for the following waste: paper/paperboard, glass, plastic, metal, organic/biological waste (food, kitchen and garden waste and similar waste)
• Setting local quantified targets for separated collection
• Design for the disposal and processing of the organic/biological waste
• Establishment of sorting at the source and separated collection and in other flows of Municipal Waste aiming at further preparation for the reuse and recycle (i.e., clothing, furniture, bulky waste, plastic, domestic hazardous, etc).
• Upgrading the infrastructure of LAs in sorting equipment at the source and separated collection, where necessary
• Pricing policy through the implementation of “Pay-As–You-Throw” with a prepaid bag
• Adoption of actions for raising awareness of the local community in topics deal with prevention, reuse, recycle and training for sorting at the source, aiming at the maximum information, awareness and participation of the citizen.
• Spreading of environmental information concerning the separated collection, process, reuse and disposal of Municipal Waste of different flows of waste.