The Green Action Group has secured around 150,000 euros from the EU to buy a special machine for its two-year-old Can Kid project recycling aluminium cans for charity.
Members of the group held their second sorting event on Saturday in the capital’s industrial area, where volunteers joined in to help sort through waste collected from “can houses” within the Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality area.
Group head Doğan Sahir said the second sorting day had been “more fruitful and efficient” than the first, since they were more experienced and had more help to sift through some 20m3 of empty soft drink cans.
However, he said: “Manually sorting cans is not an easy process – it requires more manpower.”
Mr Sahir revealed that an application for the EU funding, under the banner of a new project, “Cans of Hope”, had been successful, enabling them to purchase equipment, including a baler, to help them sort and process the cans.
The Can Kid scheme aims to help keep North Cyprus clean, as well as selling off drinks cans for recycling to raise funds for children’s hospital services.
Last year’s first sale of half a tonne of cans raised 600 TL for new equipment.
The first sorting day in Gazi Mağusa will take place next Saturday, January 30, he added, and more are to follow in 16 other municipalities where the Can Kid collections are taking place.
Mr Sahir said there had been “good progress” in encouraging people to use their collection areas, dubbed “can houses” when the scheme was launched in 2014, and he believed the appearance of fewer plastic bottles amoung the cans showed that the public was becoming more aware.
“Our target is to have collection points in all of the 28 municipalities across the country,” he added.
By Anil Isik for Cyprus Today
