Güngör landfill crisis: environmentalists warn of a growing risk of new fires

Former head of the Biologists Association Hasan Sarpten said that the recent fire at the Güngör municipal solid waste landfill in northern Cyprus is not an isolated incident, but a harbinger of a major environmental crisis caused by failures in waste management.

The expert identified the facility’s main problems as follows:
• Failed modernization: 10 years ago, the EU financed the closure of the old Dikmen landfill and the creation of a modern facility in Güngör. However, the state failed to meet its commitments, and the situation is returning to the previous chaos.
• Lack of oversight: the facility is formally under the control of the Interior Ministry and supervised by the Environment Ministry, but in practice it is operated by a private company. Due to non-payment, the company stopped accepting waste last week, after which the predictable fire broke out.
• Risks and criticism of the authorities: Güngör lacks a waste management plan and proper auditing. Sarpten called the authorities’ new initiative to launch a tender for “producing electricity from waste” a move driven by commercial gain (rent-seeking), rather than by concern for the environment and public health.