The local workshop on the theme “Closing the Loop: Challenges and Solutions”, organised by the Municipality of Geroskipou in cooperation with the Department of Environment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, concluded on Tuesday 10 March 2020, generating new ideas that will inform Cyprus’s next steps in relation to the European project “Interreg Med BlueIslands”.

The local workshop, held as part of the implementation of the European project Interreg Med “BlueIslands”, was attended by state officials and policymakers, representatives and experts from Local Authorities, as well as other stakeholders from the public and private sectors.

Delivering an address at the workshop, the Mayor of Geroskipou, Michalis Pavlides, highlighted the environmental impact of the pollution caused by the enormous quantities of waste and its ineffective management, noting the numerous actions that the Municipality of Geroskipou has undertaken to date on matters of the environment and public health.

Mr Pavlides also referred to the programmes in which the Municipality participates, which aim to reduce waste and to strengthen environmental awareness through the recycling process and the campaigns that the Municipality organises at regular intervals in cooperation with non-profit companies, organised groups, private companies, schools and other environmentally conscious citizens.

During the local workshop, Environment Officer of the Department of Environment Athina Papanastasiou presented the “Interreg Med BlueIslands” project & best practices for tackling the problem of plastic pollution in Mediterranean tourist destinations, while the Health Officer of the Municipality of Geroskipou, Marios Nikitas, presented the topic “Best Practices and the Role of Local Authorities”.

The Interreg Europe projects “EURE” and “2Lives” were presented by ANEL European Projects Officer Eleni Malekkidou, and the project “Interreg Balkan-Mediterranean ‘MELTEMI’: Wind against marine litter” was presented by the Officer of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, Dr Konstantinos Antoniadis.

During the workshop, private businesses presented an exhibition of alternative ecological products to replace the use of plastic.