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Developing of a waste management unit, recycling point (Cyprus)

  • Health and safety
  • Land-use planning
  • Permitting processes / policy integration
  • Reporting official statistics
  • Socio-economic and environmental impact assessments

Challenge the practice is addressing: One of the largest material waste streams in Europe and of course in Cyprus is the waste coming from excavations, constructions and demolitions (known as C&D waste). Recovering a percentage of them and reusing them back in the industry, has a positive environmental consequence and also, helps to mitigate the risk of raw material depletion in the construction industry. The European Union's target, settled for the year 2020, was to recover - recycle 70% of this waste and the vast majority of European countries have already achieved this. In fact, most of them have even exceeded the 70% of recovering C&D waste, which is unfortunately not the case in Cyprus. The lack of C&D waste recycling leads to financial losses for the state, environmental destruction and social reactions.

Concrete practice to achieve the expected goal: Latouros Quarries Ltd developed the first proper waste management and recycling unit in Cyprus in 2019, with a capacity of managing of a substantial amount of waste (about 250,000 tonnes/year C&D, bulky and green waste). This waste management unit is equipped with state-of-the-art specialised machinery (material handler, shredder, mobile crusher, wheel loader, excavator, etc.) and appropriate staff has been hired and trained accordingly, as well as great efforts have been made to start rationalising waste management. The waste management unit also includes a landfill site which is allowed to landfill 30% (75,000 tonnes/year) of the total amount of the waste inflow . Due to advanced technology, high know-how and innovative management methods, only 2% (5,000 tonnes/year) of the waste is landfilled. The design of the landfill site is in accordance with the overall rehabilitation program of the quarry. The waste inflow contains mixed C&D waste, which is classified in more than 20 categories. A high percentage is shredded. Reusable waste is donated (e.g. sofas, furniture, electrical devices), or sent to other processing plants for further recycling (e.g. plastics, nylon, paper). Sand, drainage material and backfill material are returned to the construction industry. Non-recyclable materials are sent to other technology units for processing, aiming at energy recovery through incineration to avoid burial.

Expected impact/goal of the practice: This practice aims to counteract illegal waste management in Cyprus through responsible recycling management and to increase the country's C&D waste recycling rate to protect the environment.

Who is the target user group of the practice/intervention or implementing the practice/intervention? This practice is for companies in the extractive industries.

Hyperlink
Source
UEPG Sustainable Development Award Nominee / Latouros Quarries Ltd
Year
2022
Data item type
Practice base
Practice type
Industry
Format
Repository, resource libraries & toolkits
Learning relevance
Case study
Commodity
Construction minerals (aggregates)
Extractive life-cycle
Exploitation phase
Post-exploitation phase (i.e. rehabilitation)
Sustainability scope
Extractives' role in closing cycles
Waste management
System change potential
counteract illegal waste management in Cyprus through responsible recycling management and to increase the country's C&D waste recycling rate to protect the environment
C&D waste recycling rates
waste management and recycling unit