Climate change is a powerful reality that is compelling governments, societies, and people worldwide to take action against all hazards that damage our environment and pollute our sources of water and food. As an environmentally responsible entity, the Government of Cyprus has taken multiple measures to elevate the situation and control environmental hazards, making Cyprus eco-friendly.
The island of Cyprus, alongside other Mediterranean and water-surrounded countries, has much to lose from allowing the efficient accumulation of waste to gather up and pollute its marine life. And hence, the island has decided to actively fight off pollution by ditching solid waste disposal for a new strategy: garbage sorting, recycling, and disposal.
ELIMINATING PLASTIC BAGS
The government launched a program to eliminate all plastic bags and providing a more sustainable alternative: paper bags. Earlier, in April, the waste recycling plants became operational, and now, a new waste collection system has been launched to process the waste even further.
The previous system was ineffective because it did not sort the garbage but instead, dumped everything into similar containers, making the disposal process challenging. The garbage sorting system has allowed countries across the European Union and other parts of the world to combat the challenge effectively, and now, Cyprus has also followed suit.
PANDOMATS: MONEY FOR GARBAGE SORTING
The Cypriot government has revived the spirit of environmental protection and garbage sorting by luring the public with money for recycling plastic bottles and other items. The authorities believe that this conscious approach will trigger an active effort and motivate Cypriots to make Cyprus eco-friendly and garbage-free.
The authorities will soon introduce Pandomats across all the leading shopping centers, and these are devices that will give out cash rewards in exchange for plastic bottles. An individual has to lower an empty plastic bottle to win a meager cash reward, and such devices will also be designed for aluminum cans.
Delivering empty plastic containers will garner you a cash reward of 8-25 cents, depending on the item’s size. Naturally, the more significant cans and bottles you feed to the Pandomats, the more money you can make. Multiple Cypriot shopping and grocery chains have expressed their desire to be a part of this remarkable initiative by offering to install these devices on their premises.
WILL THIS MONEY-MINDED STRATEGY WORK?
The Cypriot government is confident that this monetary remuneration strategy will work wonders at making Cypriots become actively involved in the process of garbage sorting and responsible disposal of their household waste. It will stimulate them to reduce the wastage and pollution created by plastic and aluminum, protecting the island, its water and food resources, and its marine life from the hazards of waste accumulation. The garbage collected by the Pandomats will be dispatched to recycling plants immediately.
This strategy is working wonders worldwide, including Asian countries, Germany, and the USA; however, the collateral value system’s settlements tend to vary.
