We have been working with a consortium to develop a waste management training programme for the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (MARDE) of the Republic of Cyprus.

Cyprus is currently recycling around 28% of its waste and is highly dependent on landfilling, but has set ambitious targets of achieving 40% separate collection of municipal waste and 15% separate collection of organic waste by 2021. The training programme, funded through the European Commission’s Structural Reform Support Service, will focus on up-skilling a range of stakeholders with the aim of enabling Cyprus to meet its waste management targets.

We are developing the programme with support from WRAP, who will lead on public awareness campaigns, Greek NGO the Ecological Recycling Society (ECOREC) and Cypriot consultancy Aspon Consulting, who will provide local knowledge, and Cypriot training company UpToDate Training.

The training programme will include bespoke modules for:

  • Public servants – including knowledge of national and EU legislation, waste management technologies, and producing and implementing waste management plans
  • Local authorities – including knowledge of best practice in waste prevention and separate collection, designing local waste management plans, and procuring waste services
  • Industry stakeholders – including knowledge of their responsibilities in terms of environmental protection and human health, eco-labelling and eco-design, and funding available for projects
  • The general public – including an introduction to the concepts of resource efficiency, sustainability, circular economy, and the waste hierarchy, and their responsibilities as citizens

Once these modules have been developed, we will work with partners to train relevant stakeholders designated by MARDE. Through this training, the trainers will gain the necessary knowledge, expertise and skills to implement the training program for the different target groups. We will be providing ongoing ‘on-the-ground’ support to MARDE, supervising the delivery of the training programme and consulting with stakeholders to ensure that the programme is giving them the knowledge and skills required.

Hara Xirou, head of our Brussels office said:

“We are thrilled to work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment in Cyprus and support key stakeholders with waste management training design and delivery and with the aim of enabling Cyprus to meet its waste management targets.”

The need for this programme to upskill Cyprus was raised through the Early Warning System project we recently delivered for the European Commission’s DG Environment. This work anticipated where EU Member States may face difficulties in reaching EU 2020 waste management targets and provides detailed, country specific recommendations for each Member State at risk.