Cyprus’ waste crisis fuels fire risk and EU scrutiny

Public attention in Cyprus often turns to fires at uncontrolled dumps, but the greater danger lies within the country’s official waste management system. Sanitary landfills, residual waste sites and integrated waste facilities are accumulating methane that is neither flared nor harnessed for energy, making them combustible “powder kegs”. Safeguards against arson or careless ignition are minimal, the EUalive partner Politis writes.

The warning signs were clear during a joint session of the parliamentary committees on Interior, Agriculture and Environment on 18 September. Lawmakers acknowledged that Cyprus is failing to meet EU waste directives, leaving buried rubbish both an environmental and safety hazard.

Fires expose vulnerabilities

The debate was triggered by a blaze at the Paphos landfill on 24 July, coinciding with the catastrophic fire in Limassol that stretched firefighting resources to the limit. The Paphos site is particularly vulnerable, with a public road running through it and exposing it to accidental or deliberate ignition. Just weeks later, on 13 September, another fire broke out at the Integrated Waste Management Plant in Koshi, Larnaca district, requiring heavy machinery to smother the flames under soil.

Taken together, Cyprus’ landfills, integrated facilities, illegal dumps and recycling plants form an explosive mix. They undermine public confidence in safety and environmental protection, while the state shows little political will or capacity to manage the problem. This is all the more striking as Cyprus prepares to assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU next year, already under scrutiny for repeated failures to comply with Brussels’ rules.

Brussels steps up pressure

Cyprus’ first conviction by the EU came in 2013 over illegal dumps at Vati and Kotsiatis, under infringement case 2011/2005. More than a decade later, the sites have not been fully restored, with deadlines repeatedly missed. On 7 May 2025, the Commission again referred Cyprus to the EU Court of Justice for non-compliance.

Two further infringement procedures are ongoing: one for failing to pre-treat waste before landfilling, another for breaches of EU rules on packaging and electronic waste. Under case 2021/2217, Cyprus is also accused of burying untreated municipal waste. After a formal notice in 2021 and a reasoned opinion in 2024, a new referral to the Court now looms. Each step of this infringement cycle brings the threat of financial penalties closer.

The environmental risks are tangible: leachate contaminating groundwater, methane emissions fuelling climate change, and recyclable materials lost to the European economy.

Civil society raises alarm

“The poor management of waste leads either deliberately or accidentally to its burning and inevitably to fires,” warned Kleitos Papastyliannou, Environmental Policy Officer at Terra Cypria. He pointed to a pattern of major waste-related blazes over the past 15 years, from the 2024 fire that destroyed nearly 1,500 hectares in Paphos district to recent incidents at recycling centres in Kalavasos, Geri and Mari.

Communities are paying the price. AKEL MP Valentinos Fakontis described frequent fires at the Paphos landfill, where warnings from the Fire Service have been ignored and basic protections such as firebreaks and water hoses are absent. The last blaze nearly reached nearby villages, he said, calling for accountability and immediate action before the site becomes unmanageable.

Greens MP and Environment Committee chair Charalambos Theopemptou stressed that government efforts to fund local clean-ups have largely failed, with only a third of communities cooperating. He urged a fundamental reassessment of why illegal dumping persists, why enforcement is weak and why deterrents are ineffective.

“If funding local communities doesn’t work, government must take central responsibility,” Theopemptou told parliament. “We need lawful ways to identify offenders, but most importantly we must ensure villages have realistic options for disposing of unwanted items. It is the state’s duty to provide such services.”

Cyprus now faces a dual challenge: safeguarding its citizens from recurring landfill fires while proving to Brussels that it can meet EU environmental obligations. Failure to act risks not only escalating infringement fines but also further erosion of public trust. With the EU presidency on the horizon, the island’s waste crisis is set to become both a domestic flashpoint and a European test case.

The full article in English can be found here.

Caption: A Cyprus landfill [Politis]