18.02.2023
Cyprus’ goal is to recycle 70% of construction and demolition waste, Agriculture Minister Costas Cadiz said on Friday.
Speaking at a conference on the robotic method used to separate waste from construction and demolition under the DEFEAT program, Cadiz said the program is being implemented by Frederick University in cooperation with the Department of the Environment, the Federation of Cyprus Building Contractors Associations and a number of other private bodies.
“The goal of the project is to develop a composite material from construction and demolition waste,” he said. He said that the material would be fireproof, have low thermal conductivity and suitable mechanical and fire-resistant properties. It can be used on the façade of both existing and new buildings, with clear benefits in terms of fire safety and energy efficiency.
The minister added that the program has developed an innovative robotic method for separating construction and demolition waste through a detailed experimental study and on a pilot scale.
Congratulating the inventors of the prototype, the Minister noted that even in the most modern construction waste facilities, separation is carried out manually without the use of advanced technologies like those used in the DEFEAT project.
“Today, thanks to the presentations of distinguished speakers, we will have the opportunity to learn about the methodological approach that has been taken to develop and implement this method, as well as how it works,” he said.
According to him, in the EU construction and demolition waste accounts for about a third of the total, amounting to about three billion tons of waste generated annually by economic activities and households.
Currently, about 2.2 million tons of earthworks, construction and demolition waste is generated in Cyprus every year, 57% of which ends up in landfills. The goal is to turn some of this rubble into a useful composite material, in line with the EU’s aspirations for a circular economy, the minister said.
He added: “For this reason, the European Commission has given priority to promoting the cyclical management of these wastes in the member states of the union.”
Cadiz also said that ambitious European targets have been adopted in Cyprus to strengthen sorting at source and to recycle and reuse materials.
Cadiz added that the ministry is encouraging the private sector to set up construction and demolition waste management facilities, which has increased from two facilities in 2016 to 11.
