Cyprus drowning in trash as stats report more waste, less recycling

Brace yourselves, Cyprus – we've got a waste problem. The latest data from Eurostat, the EU's number cruncher, shows that in 2022, we each tossed out a whopping 673 kg of municipal waste. That's up by 3.5% from last year, putting us ahead of the EU average (513 kg), which actually went down.

Digging into the details, our recycling game doesn't look so hot either. We're rocking the fourth-lowest recycling rate, with a measly 100 kg per person. That's way behind the EU average of 249 kg.

Now, let's rewind a bit. In 2021, we were at 650 kg per person, so we've practically upgraded our garbage output. On the flip side, the EU as a whole managed to trim down their waste from 532 kg to 513 kg per person.

It's not just a recent thing, though. Since 1995, we've cranked up our waste production by 78 kg, while the whole EU increased by 46 kg. Talk about a trashy situation!

So, who's the trash champion in the EU? Austria, Denmark, and Luxembourg are winning the waste game, while Romania, Poland, and Estonia are the low-key recycling champs.

Eurostat says it's all about our lifestyle, wealth, and how we handle our trash. Apparently, we're not doing so hot in that department.

When it comes to recycling, the EU averaged 249 kg per person in 2022, down a bit from last year. Meanwhile, we managed to bump our recycling up to 100 kg per person, a tad better than 2021 but not as awesome as 2019 when we hit 113 kg.

In the recycling Olympics, Austria, Denmark, and Germany are the gold medalists, while Romania, Malta, and Greece need to up their game.

Bottom line – we're drowning in our own trash, and it's time to clean up our act, Cyprus!

[Information from CNA]