The union of municipalities has again warned they cannot commit to the rollout of the pay-as-you-throwscheme, reiterating that key funding and infrastructure issues remain unresolved before the planned launch at the beginning of next year. 

Union chairman and Larnaca mayor, Andreas Vyras, said he would give no quarter unless outstanding matters were addressed.

Under the proposed model, households would pay according to the volume of mixed rubbish they produce rather than a flat rate, an approach the environment department regards as the most effective way to cut landfill disposal. 

Separate collection of household organic waste, mandated by law since January 2024, will not begin at the same time and will instead be phased in gradually, starting with large producers such as hotels, restaurants, hospitals and military camps.

Vyras questioned whether the private contractor Green Dot could indeed manage rising volumes of recyclable material and raised doubts over the availability of inspectors needed to enforce the scheme. 

“You can’t set a date without resolving these core issues,” he stressed, while further insisting that under present conditions “there is no way the system will be implemented” by January.

Costas Constantinou, permanent secretary of the environment directorate, acknowledged that source separation of organics could not be delivered immediately, though he maintained that the charging model would still create an incentive for households to reduce mixed rubbish.

Municipalities are seeking clarity on organic waste processing sites, funding for equipment, the licensing of the packaging waste system and an increase in annual state grants from €117 million to €170 million.

Vyras said implementation would be harder still in remote communities, where responsibility for recycling collection and its cost remain undefined.

A union delegation is due to meet Constantinou next week to discuss the timetable for resolving these issues. 

“It must be clarified when the issues will be resolved and then a date can be set,” Vyras said.

Some 65 per cent of Cyprus’s waste continues to go to landfill, with treatment facilities such as Pentakomo requiring an estimated €162 million in interim upgrades. 

The union of municipalities has further warned that rolling out the scheme without adequate preparation risks placing ever greater financial burden on the public.