An Empirical Evaluation of Waste Treatment and Management in a Tourism-dependent Destination: Evidence from North Cyprus

This study aims to explore the policies and strategies that are in place to manage the waste materials which is a significant aspect of environmental protection and environmental quality Nowadays, tourism is evolving rapidly as the concept of sustainability and green tourism are becoming the major challenges for tourism related institutions and agents. Waste management and waste processing has remained the most pressing challenge for the communities as well as local governments. The main impetus behind such evolution is the change in the demand and supply side of tourism Declining biodiversity, global warming, migration and waste production are some of the examples of real challenges that tourism sector cannot ignore. In this context, island states, including TRNC, which are highly dependent on tourism need to pay attention and come up with strategies to sustain their environment against the negative impacts of waste product by the communities themselves and tourists. Therefore, one of the areas that destinations such as Famagusta can focus is the issue of ‘waste management’. The question is that while Famagusta is highly dependent on tourism, and waste production is increasing day-by-day, what types of measures are in place to achieve minimization of waste production? For the purpose of this study, a qualitative/inductive method was administered and data collection approached through in-depth interview with 10 respondents from different public sector institutions who are involved in waste management and environmental issues. About 23 interview questions with semi-structured nature were presented to the respondents. The study explored that waste management in Famagusta entangled with several challenges faced. Keywords: waste management, waste education, environmental and waste challenges, tourism, local government, Famagusta/TRNC.