Sludge-drying plant on Psytalleia by mid-2007
Attica’s sewage-treatment problem should be solved by mid-2007 when a new factory on Psytalleia will dry and compress the hundreds of tons of sludge produced daily by the islet’s treatment plant, Public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias told mayors and prefectural officials in Piraeus yesterday. In the meantime, the 180,000 tons of sludge that have accumulated on the island and the approximately 450 tons produced daily will be burnt, according to Souflias, who stressed that the incineration of such waste is approved by European Union directives and would not cause environmental problems. However, Souflias noted that the proposed solution for Psytalleia would not necessarily be applied to other cases of solid waste disposal. A firm called Constantinidis has won a three-year contract to remove waste from Psytalleia following a tender issued by the Athens Water and Sewage Company (EYDAP) last month. Municipal authority officials and residents of Keratsini are to stage a protest this morning against the incineration of waste on Psytalleia, which they fear will set a precedent for garbage disposal.
