ENVIRONMENT: Cyprus clean-up involved 5.9% of population collecting 260 tonnes

Let’s Do It! Cyprus campaign attracted 49,560 volunteers in April accounting for 5.9% of the population collecting 260 tonnes of waste equivalent to the weight of 25 buses, the Environment Commissioner’s Office said.

During the week-long campaign, organised by the network of volunteers Together Cyprus and the Office of the Environment Commissioner, more than 510 groups cleaned areas of the island designated mainly by the local authorities.

Aim of the campaign was to rid the natural landscape from rubbish and cultivate awareness among the public regarding the protection, conservation and sustainable management of the land and marine environment.

 Reducing the production of waste, reusing and recycling can improve the effectiveness of the resources of the Cypriot economy, increase business opportunities and create new jobs in the recycling sector, thus contributing to reducing climate change.

“Having all this in mind, as well as the daily pictures of heaps of rubbish in the Cypriot landscape, we tried to clean Cyprus and we will continue the awareness actions in order to keep it clean,” said the Office of the Environment Commissioner.

The majority of the waste collected in Cyprus was plastic (38%) and from the 260 tonnes of rubbish picked up 50 tonnes (19.2%) was recyclable.