Limassol Municipality participates in EU organic waste composting programme

Nine months into the implementation of the ACUA programme, the first phase of the project is met with success. The project is co-funded by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund – ERDF) by 85% and by National Funds of Greece and Cyprus by 15%, with the participation of the Municipalities of Limassol, Heraklion, Rhodes, the Cyprus University of Technology and the Technological Educational Institute of Crete as a lead partner. The aim of the ACUA programme is the development, within the urban fabric focusing on mass-catering establishments, of a system for the collection of produced organic waste and their processing in the same premises. 

The Autonomous Composting Machines will be installed in specific predetermined places and all municipalities involved are ready to call for tenders for the procurement and installation of the equipment. The Municipality of Limassol will call for tenders for the DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SYSTEM FOR THE COLLECTION AT THE SOURCE AND ACQUISITION, INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF ACM (Autonomous Composting Machines) SYSTEMS on the e-procurement platform of the Republic of Cyprus (for more information: 25884488).

A series of on-site visits was carried out with the cooperation of a group of officials from the Cyprus University of Technology to a variety of locations as to determine which of them are the most appropriate for the installations of ACMs. These on-site visits have enabled the Project Team to obtain a full picture of the ACMs’ potential and prospects for the area of Limassol.  

Following the recording and analysis of these possible points of installation and with the existing expression of interest, the Municipality has shortlisted certain locations through which the objectives of the project are to be achieved. Three areas were selected based on their particularities in order to examine different scenarios within the urban fabric, which are representative of every urban area in Cyprus. These points are located in or near the Seaside Multifunctional Park of the Municipality, where produced organic waste can be disposed of and which are attended by a lot of people, on a daily basis, who will be able to know more information on the composting process. Furthermore, the installation points are within walking distance of the Municipal Garden, where produced organic waste can also be disposed of.  

The unit will be placed on concrete and will be fenced, while a special access system will only give access to those entitled. The composting unit to be installed in a public area will be accessible to People with Special Needs.

BENEFITS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS:

• Certificate of Participation in the ACUA programme,
• Training of machine operators for Source-Sorting systems.
• Provision of special equipment (e.g. brown and blue waste bins, compostable waste bags, security card)
• Supply or removal of produced soil improvers (organic fertilizer or compost).