The Department of Environment, Coordinator of the LIFE-IP CYzero WASTE Project “Intelligent monitoring and efficient waste reduction in Cyprus”, participated in the International Conference “Sustainable Solid Waste Management”, held from June 19 to 22, 2024, in Rhodes.

Professor Maria Loizidou, from the National Technical University of Athens, presented Waste Management in Cyprus through the Integrated Waste Management Facilities and their challenges. More specifically, she presented the existing capacity and technology of the two Facilities in Larnaca and Limassol and the scenarios under consideration for upgrading them.

Ms. Ioanna Konstantinidou, Senior Environmental Officer, presented the progress of the Project’s actions through the mobilization of completementary financial sources and their contribution to the achievement of the national goals until 2035. More specifically, she focused on:

• The sorting at the source, of organic, recyclable materials, hazardous household waste
• The actions to prevent the creation of food waste and agricultural waste
• The repair and reuse centers and the network of reusable goods stores
• The marine waste collection stations in fishing sanctuaries
• The application of economic tools, such as PAYT, landfill tax and Waste Management Fund
• The empower and strengthen of capacities through workshops, seminars and forums
• The establishment of the Coordinating Body between Central Government and Local Self-Government
• The information and awareness raising actions of the public and the parties involved
• The Monitoring of the project progress through indicators.

Dr. Efi Tritopoulou, from the National Technical University of Athens, presented the Pay As You Throw (PAYT) system to the newly established Municipality of Aradippou (Aradippou, Troulloi, Kellia, Koshi), an integrated approach to waste management, applying sorting at the source of organic waste and of the Pay As You Throw (PAYT) system with prepaid bag and bin (in big producers) and fixed fee. The Documentation Study of the System’s Viability, the economic evaluation and the required information campaign for the successful implementation of the PAYT were presented.

The thematic sections of the Conference covered a very wide range from the European Union’s environmental policies, the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, the circular economy-bioeconomy and waste utilization, recycling, marine pollution and plastics, biological methods of waste treatment, biorefineries, energy utilization of waste, etc.

The agenda included 26 meetings, 550 oral presentations, 228 posters, 10 keynote speakers, 5 partner journals, 950 participants (in person and online).

The above presentations in pdf format can be found on the conference website (https://rhodes2024.uest.gr/proceedings).

At the closing of the Conference, it was announced that the next Conference will take place in Paphos (Cyprus), from 25 to 28 June 2025, as well as the Summer School, which will take place on 23 and 24 June 2025.