Greece still buries nearly 80% of its waste despite billions spent and bins everywhere

Billions of euros person been spent connected recycling infrastructure successful Greece. Dozens of accusation and awareness-raising campaigns person been carried out.

The streets of Greek cities are afloat of bins collecting each kinds of materials: plastic and aluminium packaging, paper, nutrient scraps, footwear and clothing.In galore different unit stores, location are typical bins that cod batteries and electrical appliances for recycling.

And yet, Greece continues to hide astir 79 per cent of its waste, according to figures presented by nan Association of Recycling and Energy Recovery Industries and Enterprises (SEPAN).

The Association's president, Lena Belsi, stresses that a mostly of Greece's discarded is still buried while recycling rates hardly scope 17 per cent, a level that is one of nan lowest successful Europe.

She explains that location are 2 main reasons for this phenomenon.

The first is nan absence of disincentives (mainly circumstantial taxes aliases fines) that would unit households and businesses to recycle more.

"Burial is nan easiest and cheapest solution successful Greece", Belsi tells Euronews.

"Burial remains a inexpensive solution because nan typical funeral interest remains debased successful nan country, particularly compared to different EU countries. In different EU countries, nan landfill interest was nan main disincentive that worked and accrued recycling rates. But successful Greece it remains astatine €35 per tonne. There are countries, specified arsenic Italy, wherever this interest exceeds €100 per tonne."

The 2nd logic for nan reduced recycling rates has to do pinch nan mentality of Greek citizens, according to Belsi.

"Citizens return their rubbish extracurricular their location and past deliberation it disappears. They hide astir it, they person nan emotion that nan garbage goes location wherever they don't spot it and it doesn't fuss them, truthful they don't salary overmuch attraction to it. But that is not nan case. Landfilling garbage does awesome harm to nan environment. "

Greek superior plagued by waste

While Greece lags down successful recycling overall, nan problem is peculiarly captious successful Athens and nan wider area of nan Greek capital.

"Attica is lagging acold behind," Belsi warns, stressing that location is an urgent request to move guardant pinch modern infrastructure projects for discarded betterment and nan improvement of nan information system successful nan Greek capital.

Waste guidance successful Attica remains 1 of nan astir persistent and intractable problems successful nan country.

Despite an ongoing 'green transition' and nan take of European targets for a information economy, nan strategy is still mostly based connected landfilling.

The landfill tract astatine Fili, which has been operating for complete 2 decades, receives astir 90 per cent of Attica's waste, though it is astatine its limits and is now seen arsenic an biology and societal problem.

The deficiency of replacement infrastructure, mixed pinch delays successful nan implementation of caller curen plants, creates a deadlock that is threatening to create a guidance situation successful nan adjacent future.

Recycling successful Attica is astatine disappointing levels: only astir 15 per cent, good beneath nan European average.

"If nan problem of Attica is not solved, nary matter really overmuch advancement is made successful nan remainder of nan country, it will not beryllium capable to amended nan wide image of Greece", she said.

Successful exceptions

The land of Tilos is 1 of nan astir successful examples of a greenish modulation successful Greece, having reduced its discarded to almost zero done its"Just Go Zero" programme.

Through root sorting, reuse and composting, nan land recycles complete 85 per cent of its waste.

There are a fewer different nett zero examples, not arsenic successful arsenic nan 1 connected Tilos, which are chiefly successful nan aviator stage, connected nan islands of Antiparos, Alonissos, Paros and Naxos.

But individual examples, specified arsenic that of Tilos, are not capable to reverse nan wide picture.

In bid to summation nan nationalist recycling rates, nan Association of Recycling and Energy Recovery Industries and Enterprises is calling connected nan Greek authorities to make nan procedures for nan licensing of recycling workshops simpler and faster. It is besides asking for stricter controls connected nan implementation of nan recycling obligations of businesses and to enforce stricter sanctions connected those who do not fulfil their obligations.

The EU has group a target of recycling astatine slightest 70 per cent of each discarded by 2030.