Greece has paid some 66.5 million euros to the European Commission in fines since 2015 and is facing more penalties for failing to shut down and rehabilitate its illegal landfills.
We have seen many “plans” for waste management in Attica. The current regional government has presented its own plan to the municipalities. However, ambitious goals are not enough when the way to achieve them is not specified, when there is no binding schedule for the closure of the Fyli landfill. An ambitious environmental agenda for a green transition cannot leave out of the frame the Third World quagmire that is managing garbage. Third World quagmire, Kathimerini 2021
Greece ranks at the bottom among European Union Member States in waste management and recycling…80 percent of garbage goes to landfills, while only 20 percent of recyclable materials are going to recycling. These figures are a far cry from the goal of recycling 50 percent of municipal waste by 2020 that the EU had set. Greece has been granted a five-year extension (until 2025) to achieve these goals – but there are no guarantees at all that the country will deliver it.
The 5 worst countries for plastic recycling: #4. Greece Given the economic problems that Greece has faced over the last decade or two, it’s understandable that their recycling habits haven’t reached the desired level. Still, an 81%-19% recycling-to-landfill ratio in favour of landfill is not good. Recycling has still seen a 176% increase since the year 2000 while Greece has become a late developer. It has been partly due to EU fines, but the key fact is that improvements have been made and are set to continue over the coming years.
