NEWS

Athens rubbish troubles mount

While local authorities in parts of Attica earmarked to host new rubbish dumps vowed yesterday to escalate their protests, Athens could be smothered in garbage next week following a decision by the Ano Liosia municipal council to stop taking in extra waste at the local landfill. At 4 p.m. today, municipal authorities from northeastern Attica are planning a demonstration at Polydendri – one of the proposed sites – and may block the National Road to Lamia. Local authorities in western Attica were meeting until late yesterday to discuss similar action. Western Attica local officials have already refused to allow any new landfills in the area, where the Ano Liosia dump that takes in all the capital’s garbage is located. The Ano Liosia municipality has said that as of next week it will only allow the legal daily maximum of 500 tons of rubbish to be disposed of in the landfill, which currently takes in some 4,500 tons every day. Hoping to override local objections, the government plans to pass a special law on where the new dumps will be.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.