A bill submitted for approval at the Cypriot parliament introduces a tax on municipal waste sent to a landfill, even though the recycling infrastructure is nowhere near sufficient.
Under the bill, landfill users would pay a charge of €10 per ton of municipal waste until the end of 2027. From 2028, the fee would increase by €5 per ton each year, eventually reaching €70 per ton.
The proposal forms part of Cyprus’ green tax reform and is intended to cut the amount of municipal waste ending up in landfill. Around 68% of municipal waste is currently disposed of this way, while the country’s target is to reduce that figure to 10% by 2035, in line with European Union requirements.
The legislation is also linked to Cyprus’ Recovery and Resilience Plan. Approval is required before the country can access €23 million from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Together with €25 million already allocated through the THALEIA program, total funding available for waste management projects would reach €48 million.
