For the first time in Greece, municipal waste -both household and commercial -will be composted under a pilot programme launched in two municipalities.
The ambitious project kicked off in Athens and the northern suburb of Kifissia in September, with the participation of 6,000 residents. It aims to boost awareness regarding sustainable bio-waste management in Greece.
“Our main goal is to raise awareness on composting and attempt to change people’s understanding of bio-waste as a source that can be utilised,” explains Dr Dimitris Malamis, who is co-ordinating the project on behalf of the National Technical University of Athens.
Three organizations — the Association of Communities and Municipalities in the Attica Region, the National Technical University of Athens, EPTA Ltd Environmental Engineers and Consultants – have teamed up with the municipalities of Athens and Kifissia in launching the effort.
The pilot programme will run for 36 months, or until mid 2014, with the goal of identifying at least five bio-waste parameters to be employed when designing future biological treatment plants in Athens and throughout Greece.
Initial separation at the source is conducted by placing brown-coloured bins on the streets. Participants are provided with 7lt home bins, biodegradable bags and informational material. They are required to collect organic materials from home — yard waste including leaves, trimmings, lawn clippings — as well as kitchen scraps.
Restaurants and food-related businesses are collecting kitchen refuse. In all, 1,120 bins are being distributed for the pilot project.
The collected bio-waste is taken to Envitec’s Waste Recycling and Composting plant at Ano Liosia, western Attica, where it undergoes treatment before producing high quality fertiliser.
“It sounds good for starters,” Ioanna T, a biochemist who lives in Kifissia, tells SETimes. “But the hard part will be to get people to change attitudes. People just can’t be bothered. Let’s face it; it’s easy to throw everything in a big bag. Now, we’ll have to think before getting rid of our waste.”
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