The “Pay as You Throw” system is set to be implemented at the beginning of 2026. However, certain pending issues remain before the working group, which was established by the state and the Union of Municipalities, with the aim of resolving the problems raised by local authorities. The group began its work last February. As stated in “Entrepreneurial Limassol” by the head of the Union of Municipalities’ delegation to the working group, Mayor of Amathounta Mr. Kyriakos Xydias, the issues raised were divided into categories. The first, concerns legislative matters that needed to be settled based on the guidance of local authorities. As he explained, a legislative bill has been prepared to be submitted to Parliament, noting that it required significant time for its preparation. With regard to the changes introduced by the legislation, Mr. Xydias pointed out that municipalities requested the ability to issue a unified and detailed invoice for everyone, relating to the cleaning fee. “For waste, if we proceed with a prepaid bin, there will also be a related charge. But in order for this to happen, the legislation must be amended,” he added. The most serious issue, which especially concerns municipalities, relates to apartment buildings, where there is a legal gap. “Half of the apartment buildings do not have management committees. The law states that local authorities must address the management committees, but the Land Registry does not record them. Most residents in apartment buildings argue with each other. We set the requirement that, if there is no management committee, we should be entitled to impose a fine and distribute it among the apartments,” he noted.

The second category concerns financial tools requested by municipalities to cover expenses, given that new garbage trucks, inspectors, and bins will be required. Mr. Kyriakos Xydias noted that differences on this issue remain, but he expressed confidence that a formula will eventually be found, since €25 million are available from the Recovery Fund, while also expressing hope that funds will be allocated from the state budget.

The third category, which according to the Mayor of Amathounta is the most important, concerns infrastructure. “Even if I manage to convince the residents of Amathounta to separate all waste perfectly, where will we deliver, the organic waste?” he wondered, adding that no solution has been found so far. He also pointed out that setbacks have emerged, as a company that used to collect recyclables has closed down.

Regarding the actions of the Municipality of Amathounta, Mr. Xydias stated that a study was carried out recording the costs for the local authority, while an action plan is currently being drawn up. “We have external consultants, but for the action plan we will also use the assistance of the state, so that it is done properly. We set priorities: we will start with commercial premises that generate larger volumes and then move on to households. We may also run 2–3 pilot exercises. We will take some enclosed areas (such as the Linopetra settlement) to see how the system works. We will move forward gradually,” he noted.

The Mayor of Amathounta expressed the view that the implementation of the legislation should begin at the start of 2026, despite the fact that pending issues still exist. “Entrepreneurial Limassol” also addressed the matter with the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Directorate-General for the Environment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Ms. Eliana Tofa, who first expressed thanks to the members of the Working Group for their constructive cooperation. She added that the work carried out by the group proved that problems and long-standing pending issues can be resolved through dialogue.

Ms. Tofa stated that the pending matters on the part of the state have already been set in motion or even implemented. She further stressed that the Ministry and its Department are working intensively so that “Pay as You Throw” will start at the beginning of 2026. “The ultimate goal is for Cyprus to stop holding the negative record in waste generation,” concluded Ms. Eliana Tofa.