Nicosia, Cyprus. Municipalities have voiced strong opposition to the government’s intention to charge a fee to bury waste, warning the cost would be passed on to the public. The issue was discussed between the Union of Municipalities and the agriculture ministry as part of a working group implementing the Pay as you Throw programme.
Municipal concerns over proposed burial fee
Amathus mayor and head of the union’s waste working group Kyriakos Xydias said on Tuesday that municipalities were informed of the proposed fee at the end of last week. Union president and Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras said additional charges would be “catastrophic” for municipalities.
Xydias said the ministry, citing the Recovery and Resilience Facility, intends to submit a proposal to the cabinet to impose a tax on the burial of waste. He said the union does not agree with the fee and that the state should address the issue.
Pentakomo unit and burial levels
Xydias said the state manages the Pentakomo waste unit, where around 80 per cent of waste is currently buried, despite a comprehensive waste management plan that should limit burial to 20 per cent.
He said the matter will be raised at the union’s executive committee and added: “We will react strongly.”
Warnings on costs and public impact
Xydias said the government’s waste management planning would significantly increase costs and criticised the environment department for not informing the public about what he described as imminent and sharp increases in charges. He described the proposed measure as a tax charged on total waste volumes and said it would be a heavy burden for every household.
How would a burial-of-waste fee affect your household’s waste charges?
