Presidential Palace becomes first 'Zero Waste to Landfill' government building

The Presidential Palace has become the first government building in Cyprus to receive the certification of 'Zero Waste to Landfill'.

A press conference took place at the Presidential Palace orchard, where First Lady of the Republic of Cyprus, Philippa Karsera-Christodoulides, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, Dr Maria Panayiotou, and  Commissioner for the Environment, Antonia Theodosiou, spoke about this joint effort that began a year ago.

Speaking on 2 July, the Minister of Agriculture said that the preservation and protection of the environment is a government priority and noted that "converting the Presidential Palace, the place where the President of the Republic lives and works, as the first government building with zero waste in landfills, is a practical proof of symbolism as well as confirmation that our priority is to change habits in order to have a sustainable future."

Our next goal, the Minister pointed out, is to have the verification of 'Zero Waste to Landfill' in the buildings of Ministries and Deputy Ministries, noting that the next building will be the Ministry of Agriculture.

The success of the initiative, she said, cannot be based only on the actions we implement, but also on the sustainable practices we adopt every day.

In her address, First Lady Philippa Karsera Christodoulides said that about a year ago, they made a promise announcing a very ambitious goal, to turn the Presidential Palace and the surrounding area into a building with zero waste to landfills, a goal they succeeded in reaching that day.

"Today we are proud because we became the first Zero Waste government building, following the impressive examples of other countries and our goal for the Presidency to be a model for the transition to the circular economy and to encourage actions to raise awareness about the environment has been achieved" she said.

Cyprus and the Presidency are changing, becoming greener and friendlier, she went on to say.

The First Lady also said that they succeeded in reducing waste by more than 90% and doing full recycling.

"If we can do it, then everyone else can do it too," she concluded.

In her address, Environment Commissioner Antonia Theodosiou said that in addition to the goal of making the Presidential Palace a model of environmental management, it was decided to upgrade the garden of the Presidential Palace, which was designed to play an important environmental role as well as an educational tool through the development of targeted actions.

(Source: CNA/PIO)