Residents oppose new dumps
Residents in eastern Attica’s Keratea and Grammatiko districts are preparing to start protest action against government plans to build two landfills in the areas, local officials said yesterday. The mayors of Grammatiko and Keratea accused the government of breaking the law in plans to build landfills in a region they claim to be Attica’s second most important in terms of archaeological treasures, after the Parthenon. «We are at an important stage of the problem ahead of the final tender for the two landfills and the upcoming decision from the Council of State that will rule on the appeals from local councils,» said recently elected Keratea Mayor Stavros Iatrou. The government has announced plans to build three new landfills around Athens, including Keratea and Grammatiko, as the city’s only dump in Ano Liossia is quickly getting too full to operate properly. The other landfill has been scheduled for Fyli, in northwestern Athens. The residents say the landfills will pose a health hazard and have taken the matter to the Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court. Iatrou added that planning for the dumps has breached regulations regarding the required distance from archaeological sites and the minimum proximity from residential areas. Greece has been slow in adopting recycling measures and this has worsened the city’s rubbish problem. Experts believe that recycling in the capital could cut in half the 5,000 tons of trash collected every day. The debate over the capital’s rubbish woes also heated up in Parliament. «The government has for the last three years observed the problem like an indifferent third party,» said Andreas Loverdos, an MP for PASOK, criticizing the ruling New Democracy party for its inaction.
