Rush for new landfills ahead of 2004 Games
By the end of March, a new landfill will be ready on the northwestern outskirts of Athens to dispose of the thousands of tons of rubbish the capital produces every day. However, the capacity of the new rubbish dump, which will replace the current landfill at Ano Liosia, will have been exhausted in a year and a half – by the Athens 2004 Olympics. Before then, government officials hope, another three dumps will have been created, one on a 100-hectare plot in the vicinity of Fyli, northeast of Ano Liosia, and two, whose locations have yet to be decided, in eastern Attica. Proposals on the controversial matter – past plans to create landfills around Athens prompted riots by people living near designated sites – are to be submitted within the next few days to local and regional authorities. If these prove unable, or unwilling to act, the final decisions will be made by the Public Works Ministry.
