Press Releases

The Statistical Service estimates that the total amount of municipal solid waste generated in Cyprus in 2017 stood at 547 thousand tonnes compared to 545 thousand tonnes in 2016, recording a small increase of 0,36%.

From the total amount of 521 thousand tonnes treated in 2017, 79,5% was disposed in landfills, 15,0% was sorted for recycling, 2,0% was composted, 3,2% was used for backfilling and 0,3% was incinerated for energy recovery purposes.

During 2016 (data for 2017 are not yet available), the average amount of municipal solid waste generated per inhabitant in the European Union was 483 kg. In Cyprus, the per capita generation of municipal solid waste in 2016 reached 642 kg, which is the second highest among the member states of the EU. Denmark has the highest per capita generation of municipal solid waste (777 kg), while Cyprus was followed by Germany (627 kg), Malta (621 kg) and Luxembourg (614 kg).

^p = provisional data

METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Definitions

Municipal Waste: is waste collected by or on behalf of municipalities. It includes household waste and similar waste as well as waste originating from commerce, trade, small businesses, office buildings and institutions (schools, hospitals, government buildings). It also includes: bulky waste and yard waste, leaves, grass clippings, street sweepings, the content of litter containers, and market cleansing waste, if managed as waste. Municipal waste is collected from door-to-door through traditional collection (mixed household waste) and fractions collected separately for recovery operations (mainly for recycling purposes, through door-to-door collection and/or through voluntary deposits). It also includes waste similar in nature and composition which: 1) is collected directly by the private sector (business or private non-profit institutions), not on behalf of municipalities (mainly separate collection for recovery purposes), and 2) originates from rural areas not served by a regular waste service, even if they are disposed by the generator. It excludes waste from municipal sewage network and treatment and municipal construction and demolition waste.

Recycling: is defined as any reprocessing of material in a production process that diverts it from the waste stream, except reuse as fuel. Both reprocessing as the same type of product and for different purposes is included. Direct recycling within industrial plants at the place of generation is excluded.

Composting: is defined as a biological process that submits biodegradable waste to anaerobic or aerobic decomposition and that results in a product used on land or for the production of growing media or substrates.

Incineration: refers to the thermal treatment of waste in an incineration plant in order to reduce the volume and the hazardousness of the waste, and to obtain a still product that can be disposed of. Waste may also be incinerated for energy production purposes.

Backfilling: refers to a recovery operation where suitable waste is used for reclamation purposes in excavated areas or for engineering purposes in landscaping and where the waste is a substitute for non-waste materials.

Landfill (disposal site): is defined as deposit of waste into or onto land, including specially engineered landfills, and temporary storage of over one year on permanent sites. The definition covers both landfills in internal sites (i.e. where the generator of waste is carrying out its own waste disposal at the place of generation) and external sites.

For more information:

Statistical Service (CYSTAT) Website, subtheme Environment

Contact

Marilena Kythreotou: Tel.: +357 22602137, Email: mkythreotou@cystat.mof.gov.cy

(AH)