Minister pushes for action on construction waste crisis

At a recent event, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou emphasised the seriousness of the issue and said that the effort to fight against construction waste is far from accomplished.

Due to its weight and size, constructing and demolition waste is an important challenge for handling, resulting in around 25 to 30 percent of all waste created in Europe. Natural resources and environmental preservation efforts are being pushed by the persistent need for construction materials, Minister Panayiotou noted.

"This isn't just our island's problem, it's a continent-wide challenge," she said. In order to achieve the challenging goal of recycling 70% of this waste stream, Panayiotou highlighted the necessity for immediate action and adjusted solutions.

When Panayiotou took responsibility for handling this waste in 2016, she acknowledged that the situation was terrible and that waste frequently ended up in fields or landfills. Measures were taken to counteract this, such as the establishment of treatment facilities and stricter environmental laws based on the "polluter pays" principle.

In order to ensure correct disposal, waste producers are now required under new legislation to collaborate with licensed construction waste management units. In order to increase recycling rates, project operators must also create a centralised electronic database, predict the amount of waste, and follow management procedures.

A technical committee was established to encourage the use of recyclable materials in accordance with the circular economy concept, in addition to legislative upgrades. The goal of this committee is to promote innovation in waste management by bringing together a variety of departments and agencies.

Panayiotou said that "progress has been made with the establishment of 12 treatment facilities, up from just two in 2016.". But problems still exist, especially with illegal dumping. Environmental inspections have been increased in order to address this and stop the dumping of illegal waste.

"While advances have been made, our mission remains incomplete until we fully clamp down on illegal dumping and shut down all illegal waste management sites," she affirmed.