A new NGO in Limassol, has bought green garbage trucks and they are ready to go out in the streets to protect what, as they say, should be a basic human right – living in a clean city. The City Friends Club, a Non-Governmental Organization that envisions a cleaner Limassol, has begun to make its presence notable in our city. They are here to stay, have set goals and are ready to take actions that will contribute to solving the problem that our city is facing in relation to cleanliness, which like the vast majority of urban centres struggles to meet the needs arising from waste management.
The organization recognizes how beautiful Limassol is, but at the same time, admits that the quality of its residents’ lives would be greatly improved if new strategies are adopted to solve the issue of cleanliness. They have a clear understanding of what an eco-lifestyle consists of, and this guides their three main directions of development. While waiting for the green light to send their trucks out in the streets, the City Friends Club team are currently working on several projects to raise awareness among Limassolians.
In the context of highlighting individuals and groups that innovate, create and show a keen interest in Limassol, Limassol Today visited the offices of the City Friends Club in a first acquaintance with the organization, but also to learn more about its vision, its goals, the way it perceives the problem of cleanliness in Limassol, and the ways in which it can be addressed.
By Kyriakos Konstanta
(Για την έκδοση στα Ελληνικά πατήστε ΕΔΩ)
What is the City Friends Club and what are the organization’s targets/goals and how City Friends Club is planning on achieving them? What are the actions and activities considered?
According to its founder and CEO, Mrs. Anna Gubareva, the idea of the City Friends Club arose from the need to protect the country on the basis of ecology. It is, therefore, an ecological argument aimed at tackling waste management, keeping neighbourhoods clean, and benefiting society through realistic and substantive change, such as building infrastructure for waste management, and promoting “green” practices to cultivate an ecological culture to the citizens.
I am a certified art therapist. Having got acquainted with psychology four years ago, I realised that the ecology of the soul had become so important to me that I made it my new profession. Working with the topic of internal ecology, I came up with the idea of an organisation that will take care of the external ecology of our island. So, City Friends Club was born, an eco project to combat waste levels in Cyprus. From the inside to the outside – this is a guiding principle of our organisation. Working together to keep our local neighbourhoods clean, we can create real, substantial change.
Anna Gubareva, Founder & CEO
City Friends Club is a group of like-minded people who think that living in a clean city should be a basic human right. In 2021 this group of people launched a non-profit organisation with the mission to introduce and support efficient waste-collecting infrastructure in Limassol and the surrounding areas, encourage eco-friendly habits, and reduce future waste pollution in Cyprus.
We believe that the streets, parks, beaches and historical sites of Cyprus should be clean and safe for everyone to enjoy. To achieve this, we not only need to do the cleaning job, but we also have to educate people and build a strong community around the waste issue.
This is why we’ve outlined three main directions of development for the next year:
[1] City Cleaning
We are due to launch our everyday cleaning programme very soon! Our main target is waste on the streets – and we’re building a waste-collection infrastructure which we believe is very much needed in Limassol and the rest of the island.
[2] Education and Awareness
We are working on collaborations with educational institutions to implement engaging educational programmes and promote green thinking among children and adults.
[3] Volunteer movement
We are building a volunteer movement where we collaborate with existing volunteer organisations to help and strengthen each other’s work and to help raise awareness, teaching actionable skills to reduce household waste on our streets.
According to a recent survey, Limassolians perceive cleanliness as the biggest problem that their city faces. How do City Friends Club perceive this issue?
Limassol is admittedly a very beautiful city. It has its own charm, its own signature. But, unfortunately, it is getting harder and harder not to notice the rubbish that is seen everywhere. The issue is very acute; not only does it give our city an ugly look, but it’s also not healthy to have piles of rubbish on the streets and half-abandoned areas.
What are the main factors leading to this problem? Do you think it’s mostly a matter of infrastructure? A responsibility of the Authorities? Or does it have to do with citizens’ way of living, culture and attitudes?
Several factors are influencing the waste situation in Limassol, and all of those factors play a significant role. A well-planned infrastructure, people’s habits and culture, and educational programmes, are direct contributions to the well-being of the city.
If at least one of these elements fails, the system stops working, leading to the polluting of the city. At this point, people become dissatisfied with the work of the government, and the government is not happy with the way people treat their waste.
If we look at the issue a bit closer, we can point out three main problems:
[1] Poor control systems
There are several construction sites in the city, therefore a considerable amount of construction waste is not disposed of correctly and is thrown straight into the city and fields.
[2] Overfilled bins
Waste collection is not frequent enough. In areas with a high population density, the situation is even worse. Strong winds and a large number of cats only help to scatter rubbish around.
[3] Eco education levels
Lack of skills and desire for waste sorting among city residents and the lack of understanding of waste collection and recycling systems.
Therefore, it is vital to work towards adopting new strategies to solve the issue:
– More waste bins should be added in the areas with a lack of bins. The waste collection should be implemented more often in areas with a higher population density.
– Authorities could enforce laws and practices regarding pollution more firmly.
– Educational programmes should be implemented to help people understand the scale of the problem and acknowledge practices to reduce future pollution.
We believe that together with Limassolians and Government support, this issue can be fixed, and we will do our best to help solve it!
How can a more environmentally friendly way of living, and attitudes based on sustainability, be developed? We can observe that the City Friends Club, through its online presence, is putting a lot of focus and effort into informing people…
The eco-lifestyle is based on the 5R principle: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle. Any of the eco-programmes introduced to society should be based on it.
That’s why it is crucial to adopt new strategies to achieve a more environmentally friendly way of living. The things that we should do:
– More events should be held to draw attention to the waste problem
– More initiatives and projects to engage with local communities promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle
– Access to more environmental and eco-friendly products which can substitute harmful products to the environment
– Easy access to educational materials that will help people understand the basics of recycling, zero-waste living and other practices that will reduce future pollution of the island
Unfortunately, in our society, there are many ingrained habits that’ll take time to change. People simply act out of habit, saving time or not thinking about an alternative at all (for example: buying coffee in disposable cups instead of drinking their daily coffee in a reusable cup)
We live in the Information Age, which is why at City Friends Club we focus on informing people through our social media – this is one of the best ways to get through to people.
When is City Friends Club officially launching? What shall we expect? What would be the initial changes somebody will notice in the city of Limassol?
We are in the process of obtaining the licence which will let us start our daily cleaning program. As you might know, things can take a long time in Cyprus, particularly with documents.
While waiting we didn’t want to waste time, and so we designed a few projects that are aimed at promoting environmentally friendly and conscious lifestyles. We’ve partnered with the local volunteer community to develop volunteer programs to clean up the island and have already successfully conducted several clean-ups.
At the same time, we are working on several projects to raise awareness among people of Limassol:
– Illegal graffiti removal and replacement with graffiti designed by local artists
– Initiative that helps to reduce the volume of waste within the coffee industry
– Development of the online platform where visitors can find all the necessary information about waste disposal and an eco-conscious lifestyle in Limassol
City Friends Club has a desire for change and a desire for a life in a clean multinational city, where every person is important and loved. Ecology is not a pretty buzzword, but a set of habits that can change our city for the better.
Through our programmes, we build relationships and friendships with the residents, government, educational and business institutions of the island to create a united team that will solve environmental issues in Cyprus.
Founder & CEO: Anna Gubareva
PR Manager: Kristina Kremko
Operational Director: Natalia Mutovkina
Marketing Manager: Daria Denisova
