Description Collection and compilation of data regarding the production and treatment of municipal solid waste.
Method Collection of data, both for the quantities produced and for the quantities of waste managed directly by the treatment units, as well as data from the Department of Environment for the quantities collected for recycling purposes. Also, data are collected from Green Dot Cyprus, other waste treatment facilities and green points.
Data Coverage Data cover municipal waste which include waste produced by households and similar wastes from sources such as commerce, offices and other institutions (schools, hospitals, government buildings).
Data Availability The results of the Survey are announced with a press releases. Data are available on the web portal of the Statistical Service for the years 1996-2023
Data Comparability The difference observed between the total amount of waste generated and the total amount of waste treated is mainly due to leaks and other water losses from the various processes after the waste enters the treatment plants. These liquids are managed within the plants, e.g. biological treatment. These quantities are excluded from the scope of municipal solid waste data reporting. In addition, there exist waste quantities that are being collected and stored, without processing, for future treatment.
Principal Variables, Statistical Concepts and Definitions Principal variables: Generation and Treatment of Municipal Solid Waste.
Waste: refers to materials that are not prime products (i.e. products produced for the market) for which the generator has no further use for own purpose of production, transformation or consumption and which he discards, or intends or is required to discard. Waste may be generated during the extraction of raw materials, during the processing of raw materials to intermediate and final products, during the consumption of final products and during any other human activity. Excluded are residuals directly recycled or reused at the place of generation (i.e. establishment) and waste materials that are directly discharged into ambient water or air.
Municipal Waste: is waste collected by or on behalf of municipalities. It includes household waste and similar waste as well as waste originating from commerce, trade, small businesses, office buildings and institutions (schools, hospitals, government buildings). It also includes: bulky waste and yard waste, leaves, grass clippings, street sweepings, the content of litter containers, and market cleansing waste, if managed as waste. Municipal waste is collected from door-to-door through traditional collection (mixed household waste) and fractions collected separately for recovery operations (mainly for recycling purposes, through door-to-door collection and/or through voluntary deposits). It also includes waste similar in nature and composition which: 1) is collected directly by the private sector (business or private non-profit institutions), not on behalf of municipalities (mainly separate collection for recovery purposes), and 2) originates from rural areas not served by a regular waste service, even if they are disposed by the generator. It excludes waste from municipal sewage network and treatment and municipal construction and demolition waste.
Recycling: is defined as any reprocessing of material in a production process that diverts it from the waste stream, except reuse as fuel. Both reprocessing as the same type of product and for different purposes is included. Direct recycling within industrial plants at the place of generation is excluded.
Composting: is defined as a biological process that submits biodegradable waste to anaerobic or aerobic decomposition and that results in a product used on land or for the production of growing media or substrates.
Incineration: refers to the thermal treatment of waste in an incineration plant in order to reduce the volume and the hazardousness of the waste and to obtain a still product that can be disposed of.
Energy recovery: refers to the incineration and co-incineration of waste in power stations and industrial facilities such as cement kilns so that the resulting energy can be used to generate heat or electricity.
Landfilling: is defined as the deposit of waste into or onto land, including specially engineered landfills and temporary storage of over one year on permanent sites. It covers both landfills in internal sites (i.e. where the generator of waste is carrying out its own waste disposal at the place of generation) and external sites.
Classification Systems Municipal waste is classified by waste generation and by the treatment operations and follows the definitions for the OECD/Eurostat Joint Questionnaire.
Legal Framework There is no relevant legal obligation at EU level. Data are transmitted to Eurostat by the Statistical Service on the basis of a under gentlements' agreement. However, from reference year 2020 onwards, municipal waste generation and recyling are covered by the provisions of Directive (EU) 2018/851 amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste. Moreover, the variables on landfill and incineration without energy recovery are covered by Directive (EU) 2018/850 amending Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste.