Greece’s Waste Crisis: Why Recycling Remains So Low Despite Billions Spent

THE COUNTRY of Greece has invested billions of euros into its discarded guidance and recycling infrastructure: with consciousness campaigns, caller bins collecting different categories of waste, and wide sorting accusation availability, Greece has been trying to get a limb up connected its overwhelming discarded problem. However, according to information presented by nan Association of Recycling and Energy Recovery Industries and Enterprises (SEPAN), Greece continues to hide 79 per cent of its discarded successful landfills.

Greece trailing acold down European peers successful recycling

Conversely, nan recycling rates successful nan state hardly scope 17 per cent, cementing it arsenic 1 of nan lowest successful nan full of Europe. The problem is peculiarly egregious successful nan Greek superior of Athens; its domiciled arsenic a celebrated tourer destination makes it peculiarly susceptible to nan discarded crisis, arsenic visitors will often spot piles of garbage successful nan streets and adhd to them alternatively than throwing it retired successful a bin. Despite intelligibly labelled bluish and greenish bins, and depositories wherever residents tin recycle thing from insubstantial to batteries, Greece still struggles to recycle moreover an acceptable magnitude of its waste. But why?

The 2 main reasons for Greece’s overwhelming discarded worries

SEPAN president Lena Belsi explains that location are 2 superior reasons for this baffling phenomenon. “Burial is nan easiest and cheapest solution successful Greece,” she stated, referring to nan landfills. The funeral interest successful Greece remains low, whereas successful different European countries, nan pricey interest is nan main facet deterring them from simply burying overmuch of their waste, moving to summation nan rates of recycling astatine nan aforesaid time. In Greece, for example, nan interest is €35 per tonne of waste, whereas successful different countries, for illustration Italy, nan interest could transcend €100.

According to Belsi, nan different main logic Greece struggles to recycle has to do pinch nan mentality of Greek citizens. “Citizens return their rubbish extracurricular their location and past deliberation it disappears … Landfilling garbage does awesome harm to nan environment.” Indeed, nan nationalist disinterest successful really garbage is processed and nan harm that landfills do is 1 of nan main underlying factors arsenic to why Greece falls acold down its European peers. Enforcement, pricing signals, and acquisition connected discarded guidance are each desperately needed.

Attica, struggling nether nan unit of a afloat landfill

Belsi warns of an urgent request to modernise nan infrastructure and incentivise recycling among nan citizens, aliases nan discarded guidance rumor could soon go unmanageable, peculiarly successful Athens and successful nan municipality of Attica.

The landfill tract astatine Fili, which is much than 2 decades old, received astir 90 per cent of Attica’s waste. It is presently astatine its limits, however, and is doing a awesome magnitude of harm to nan surrounding environment. Attica recycles only astir 15 per cent of its waste.

“If nan problem of Attica is not solved… it will not beryllium capable to amended nan wide image of Greece,” said Belsi.

Small islands making large steps successful Greece

Greece’s business whitethorn not each beryllium punishment and gloom, however. The Greek land of Tilos has group a marvellous illustration for nan possibilities of a greenish modulation successful nan country. The land has reduced its discarded to adjacent zero done a typical programme it launched, called “Just Go Zero.”

The island, done sorting, reuse, and composting, has managed to scope recycling levels of much than 85 per cent. Though Tilos is nan astir successful Greek illustration successful nan recycling sphere, location are different islands that are making beardown headway, successful peculiar Antiparos, Alonissos, Paros, and Naxos. However, these individual islands, while they are making awesome strides, are not capable to offset Greece’s expanding discarded issue, and much important measures will request to beryllium taken successful bid to scope a much manageable standard.

A telephone connected nan government: stricter rules for recycling

SEPAN is calling connected nan Greek authorities to make licensing and recycling workshops much accessible, simpler, and faster. Additionally, it is calling for stricter obligations for recycling for businesses and stricter sanctions connected those who do not comply.

The European Union has a extremity to recycle astatine slightest 70 per cent of each its discarded by nan twelvemonth 2030.

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