Paphos People

But much of the forthcoming legislation should have been passed and implemented years ago
By Charalampos Theopemptou

Plastic pollution is a worrying worldwide phenomenon, but when this is combined with other environmental issues like climate change, the enormous amounts of waste generated by modern societies, the conservation of resources and a host of other problems, then it becomes obvious that we are not just facing a problem but a real crisis.

In order to face these problems, EU introduced a number of policy initiatives and one of them is the “circular economy” policy. Within this framework, EU introduced in 2018 its long-term strategy for the reduction of plastics.

The first change we saw of this in Cyprus, was in July 2018 when the charge of 6 cents was imposed for plastic carrying bags at the cashiers started.

An extension of that was the bill passed into law in February 2022, that will come into force in February 2023. This will completely ban the availability of plastic bags we pay for at the cashier. This new law does not affect the thinner plastic bags we use to put products in before we get to the checkout, such as the fruit and vegetable section of a supermarket.

In July 2021, the Single Use Plastics Directive came into force throughout Europe. Unfortunately, the harmonisation bill was very late coming to the House of Representatives. This was examined as an urgent issue by the House environment committee as it was submitted seven months after the EU deadline. It is expected to be voted into law before the end of March if we are to avoid a hefty EU fine.

There are several categories of plastic items in this bill:

Plastics for which there will be measures to reduce consumption.
Plastics that cannot be imported or produced.
Plastic products with specific markings.
Plastics with extended responsibility of the producer where the one who sells them has the responsibility for their recycling.
Plastics with a mandatory percentage of recycled material.
The interesting thing here is that some companies have already made adjustments

Our handling of municipal waste is unacceptable, and it needs a major overhaul. A first step was made also within the framework of the circular economy, in May 2021 when provisions were introduced in the basic law, for high targets for recycling, reuse and organic waste management.

To achieve this, we need to make even more drastic changes in waste management and the legislative part of this effort is already in the House environment committee and will begin its discussion around May.

The changes will based on the introduction of separate waste collection and Pay As You Throw (PAYT) systems.

These systems are widely used in Europe and USA, and it was the obvious choice that we should have adopted in 2004. Unfortunately for reasons of corruption, other solutions were chosen.

Once the bill gets approved, a grace period of about a year will be given to the local authorities to prepare. Right after that, we will have the introduction of mandatory recycling, separate collection of organic waste (eg food waste) and the introduction of a PAYT system.

Another issue that is causing a lot of arguments in the industry is the possible implementation of Deposit Return Systems (DPRS) for specific product packages based on systems that have been operating for many years in some Central European countries, such as Germany.

Every time you buy, for example, a soft drink, you pay an additional amount, such as 20 cents, which you take back when you return the empty can.

But passing legislation is the easy part. The most difficult part is to identify difficult areas such as mountainous or other remote communities to build the appropriate infrastructure, to launch public awareness campaigns, to have provisions for immediate action in case of problems and of course a system for enforcing the law.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/03/23/changes-coming-for-waste-and-plastics/

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Dave
Moira And Dave

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

House extends deadline for ditching single-use plastics

Parliament has passed amendments extending the ban on specific single-use plastics (SUPs) to September 30 this year, notwithstanding the EU directive should have been transposed into law by July 2021.

The new law, necessary to harmonise Cyprus with the EU directive on reducing the impact of plastic products on the environment passed with 30 votes in favour during the house plenum, while three Elam MPs voted against.

MPs also narrowly approved an amendment for a three-month extension from the initial extension on the implementation date of April 30 until September 30 to allow the sale of single-use plastics and exhaust the stocks, provided their order was placed before July 3, 2021, when all EU member states must have adopted the directive into law.

The amendment, proposed by Diko, passed with 17 votes in favour and 16 against.

This is an additional extension to a previous amendment to the bill by the environment committee which extended the availability of the stock of single-use plastic products to April 30, provided the order was placed on the market before July 3, 2021.

The delay was due to the fact the lengthy time it took the state legal services to vet the text, which resulted in the bill being submitted to parliament for discussion after the deadline passed last year.

The law passed provides, among other things, for a market ban on certain single-use plastic products, such as cutlery, straws and cotton buds, as well as products made of oxo-degradable plastic.

It also provides for an obligation to take measures to reduce the consumption of certain single-use plastic products for which there are no alternatives as well as the imposition of specific requirements in relation to these plastics, such as specific percentages of recycled content in them, as well as requirements in relation to their labelling and/or design.

There is also an obligation to participate in extended producer responsibility schemes in relation to these plastics and to take measures to inform and raise consumer awareness.

Cyprus had an obligation to transpose the EU directive into national legislation since July 2021, said Green Party leader Charalambos Theopemptou, noting that if any extension was given, the country would be in trouble with the European Union.

He added the government had assured, before the deadline, there would be no issue with importer’s stocks of the specific plastic products.

Saying the single-use plastic ban law will bring tremendous changes for people, the MP said this will introduce new products into the domestic market that can be an opportunity for innovative business actions.

The EU is tackling plastic litter because there are appalling amounts of plastic in nature, Theopemptou said, with the synthetic chemical substance attributing to 80 per cent of marine litter. Neighbouring countries are dumping plastic waste into the sea which ends up on local beaches through sea currents, he added.

Meanwhile, microplastics have been traced in human blood according to a recent study published in the journal Environmental International, which may lodge in organs.

The party leader proposed the government should look into all the plastics entering in the Cypriot market since many of them cannot be recycled.

In his statements, Akel MP Nikos Kettiros defended the house environment committee, saying it was not responsible for the delay, as the government only tabled the relevant bill on December 3, 2021.

Due to the delay, he said, some people had already placed orders and stocked up. He supported Diko’s amendment to give time for the units to sell their products and to take advantage of the tourist season.

Diko MP Chrysanthos Savides also said the delay was not the responsibility of the parliament. He explained the extension was provided taking into account the bad economic environment due to the pandemic.

In opposition, Disy MP Prodromos Alabritis referred to the importance of the bill which will help the country transition to a circular economy. He disagreed with the amendment saying there has been information for a year and there have already been delays while there are likely to be consequences, including hefty fines, if there are further ones.

For his part, Dipa MP Michalis Yiakoumis said the law was not only about our obligation to the EU but also about our moral obligation to protect our home planet and stated the party’s readiness to contribute and strengthen this effort.

Explaining why they voted against the “strict” directive, Elam MP Linos Papayiannis said the state does not have the appropriate services to implement the directive and has not provided for recycling in many areas.

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Dave
Moira And Dave

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”