Cyprus oil recycling project to compete for the European Green Skills award

The entry of the Cypriot educational program «Tiganokinisi» into the final of the European Green Skills Award, noted ahead of the 30 June 2026 finale, confirms the strong viability of the business model it created. The project by the AKTI research center and Cyprus' Ministry of Education has successfully turned schools into primary collection points for biofuel feedstock. Scaling from just 10 schools in 2011 to 530 educational institutions today, as well as generating nearly 1 million euros in revenue, proves the effectiveness of a concept in which environmentally responsible behavior is directly monetized for the benefit of schools, bypassing bureaucratic government agencies.

However, behind the international recognition and impressive collection figures — more than 1,000 tons of recycled oil — lies an institutional dead end. Program coordinator Avgi Procopiou acknowledges that public awareness in Cyprus beyond the school ecosystem remains critically low. The majority of households still dispose of used fats through the general sewage system. This indicates that after 15 years of existence, the project has still not been able to grow beyond the framework of a local school initiative and transform into a fully nationwide habit.

The success of «Tiganokinisi» rests on the targeted enthusiasm of families, students and individual B2B donors, but the system lacks strict state regulation. As long as pouring oil down the sink is not punished by heavy fines and centralized collection is not integrated into the mandatory municipal infrastructure, the AKTI project will remain just a nice social experiment. Online voting in the European competition may bring Cyprus another award, but it will not solve the problem of overloaded island wastewater treatment plants and groundwater contamination caused by the lack of systematic control over household waste disposal.