Cape Greco dump to close this year
DESPITE being five years late, there has been widespread praise for the new state-of-the-art waste processing plant near Larnaca, which spells the end of small uncontrolled rubbish dumps across the south-east.
The impressive €40 million site in Koshi consists of a large landfill, recycling and waste sorting plants and an organic refuse composting facility.
Similar units are slated to be constructed in Limassol and Nicosia, with Paphos also earmarked to have one in the future, all built with EU subsidies.
“This will make a huge difference to the environment,” beams Commissioner for the Environment Charalampos Theopemptou. “The refuse here is collected and industrially processed – it is not a rubbish dump.”
The collection and transportation of materials from households, businesses and schools is now be taken to local transit stations to be compressed, before being moved for processing at Koshi.
Even though the site is now operational, it will not run at full capacity for the next few months as any possible problems are ironed out, but refuse deliveries are being gradually increased.
The project, which has been in the planning for over eight years, was nearly scrapped in 2007 when angry villagers attempted to block off the area to vehicles of the construction company by forming a human chain.
On several occasions police used force to disperse the protesters and allow vehicles to pass, while tensions during the construction period remained high.
Locals had cited health reasons as their main opposition for the creation of the disposal plant, with concerns that the landfill would seriously damage the development potential of the community.
Residents also claimed the plant would lower property values, while also using up one of the few remaining areas to build a home in the area.
Theopemptou is concerned that the practice of dumping general household waste, fridges, mattresses, garden refuse and commercial waste may continue at former rubbish dumps and is adamant a public awareness campaign must be launched.
“This does worry me that people will continue to dump illegally once the rubbish tips are closed, we may need to act very strongly with fines if people continue to dump their waste at the old tips,” he said.
The opening of the Koshi plant also means refuse heaps like the one situated next to the sea caves in Ayia Napa will be closed down by the end of this year.
The garbage tip, next to Cape Greco, first came to public attention when outraged tourists complained about it back in 2002, lured by a sign promising a nature walk – only to find themselves walking through a mountain of rotting garbage, gasping for air.
The Cape Greco site, which is a national park, quickly became a national embarrassment and was featured on television programmes and holiday websites.
One blog described Cape Greco as “One of ugliest and dirtiest places you can imagine anywhere.”
Old tyres, plastic bags, empty bottles, and bin liners are a common sight on the main road leading to the dump, which is the main artery for tourists wishing to scale the Cape and nature walks.
“Thank God this place will close, in fact all the rubbish dumps in the Larnaca and Famagusta districts will close,” said Theopemptou.
Plans are also in motion to conduct extensive landscaping to improve the aesthetics of former rubbish dumps in the Famagusta district, with officials also scouting the area to identify any illegal tips which will also be shut.
Renovating a former landfill into a park is common practice in the EU and United States, with the world’s largest rubbish dump in New York currently being converted into a 30-acre recreation site.
Ironically, despite being in Larnaca, the Koshi plant serves the only big town on the island with no active recycling policy, a fact highlighted by the Green Party last week.
The party has compiled a petition to encourage government investment, which they claim could double the lifespan of the new plant.
The situation in Larnaca has alarmed environmentalists, who point out that since 2002 local authorities shirked their responsibility to collect, transport and dispose of rubbish according to the provisions of the EU Solid and Hazardous Waste Law.
Kyriakos Parpounas, the manager of Green Dot recycling firm, told the Sunday Mail that Larnaca will be added to the recycling programme by the end of this year.
“Paphos and Famagusta districts started last June, this was because of the areas importance to tourism. We have now made an official proposal to Larnaca Municipality and we expect to begin recycling in Larnaca and Aradippou by November, if not sooner,” he said.
