General Information
Green Dot (Cyprus) Public Co. Ltd was established in 2003 as a non-profit, public (not listed) company whose main objective is to undertake collectively and on behalf of member companies (manufacturing and importing) their responsibility to recover and recycle packaging materials they place into the local market. This need is a result of harmonisation of local laws with the EU legislation and more specifically the Directive 94/62/EU on Packaging and Packaging Waste.
The directive introduces the "Polluter Pays" principle. Since for most companies it is either impossible or non-feasible to undertake this responsibility on their own due to the complexity of the issue, Green Dot (Cyprus) Public Co. Ltd has been established on the initiative of the private sector, to undertake collectively the responsibility of companies operating in Cyprus and formulate all the necessary actions to comply with the Directive.
Green Dot Cyprus filed an application for accreditation of the System in January 2006. The Cypriot Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment issued the license of the Collective Packaging Management System, organized by Green Dot Cyprus, with effect from the 1st of August 2006. This is the first License issued in Cyprus for this purpose, rendering the Green Dot Cyprus system currently the only active system in the local market. The license is valid for a six year period, according to the Packaging Ordinance, and can be renewed for successive six year periods. The System manages both household and commercial/industrial packaging.
The Company currently employees 13 staff members and is housed in modern well equipped offices in Nicosia.
The Green Dot Cyprus System has been joined by over 550 companies and this number is steadily increasing.
The System is still the only authorised collective system in Cyprus.
According to the Accreditation, the System should by the 01/08/2007:
a) recover at least 50% or up to 65% of the weight of the Packaging placed in the market by its members,
b) recycle at least 25% or up to 45% of the packaging placed in the market by it members,
c) recycle at least 15% of each packaging material (glass, plastic, paper and metal)
According also to the Law, until the 31st of December 2012 the Company should accomplish the following quantitative targets for its shareholders and members:
a) recover or incinerate in waste incineration facilities for energy recovery, at least 60% of the weight of packaging waste,
b) recycle between 55% as a minimum and 80% as a maximum of the weight of the packaging waste, and
c) recycle, the following materials that are included in packaging waste:
(i) 60% of the weight of glass
(ii) 60% of the weight for paper and cardboard
(iii) 50% of the weight of metal
(iv) 22,5% of the weight of plastic, taking under consideration material which can be recycled into plastic
(v) 15% of the weight of wood.
Green Dot Cyprus has undertaken over the last two years to manage also (on a management contract basis) a collective system for WEEE on behalf of the company WEEE Electrocyclosis Cyprus Ltd and a collective system for batteries on behalf of the company AFIS Cyprus Ltd. In that sense, Green Dot Cyprus has become a one stop shop for local companies for their compliance needs.
