Government failure in waste processing

 

Statement by the Environment Affairs Bureau of AKEL on the fire at a tyre processing centre

14 June 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The fire at the old tyre processing centre in the Vasilikos area, with all its disastrous consequences, has once again highlighted the incompetence and sloppiness demonstrated by the Anastasiades-DISY government on waste management/processing.

The processing of tyres at the end of their life cycle is governed by EU Directives and national legislation, in order to prevent and reduce negative environmental impacts, particularly on surface and groundwater, soil, air and human health.

This is not the first time that such accidents have occurred at tyre processing centres. It should be recalled that the Audit Office itself from April 2021 with a Special Report it had published on the processing of vehicle tyre waste pointed out the environmental dangers posed by the accumulation of large quantities of tyres, particularly in the wider Vasilikos area.

The competent Ministry has an obligation to carry out all the necessary scrutiny, to check the licensing conditions of each centre/unit, and to ensure that they are correctly managed. AKEL reiterates once again the need for the formulation of a comprehensive processing of all waste within the context of the circular economy.

Such incidents cannot be left unresolved, which is precisely why AKEL, on the occasion of the fire in Mari, will bring the issue back for discussion in the Parliamentary Environment Affairs Committee, because the safety and health of the public must be a priority for all of us.