Landfill policy is ‘rubbish’
The Technical Chamber of Commerce (TEE) accused the government yesterday of failing to carve out a single concise policy on waste management and of intervention in planning for the sake of political gain. In a report released yesterday, TEE said the state needs to respect recommendations made on waste management and to see the plan through. «Nowhere in the world are landfills acceptable, no one wants them in their backyard,» said Christina Theohari, the head of TEE’s environmental committee. «Consequently, there will be never be social consensus. That is why we need independent surveyors and respect for scientific proposals without intervention from politicians. Additionally, planning must not always weigh on the same areas,» she added. TEE, which is also a government adviser on different scientific and economic issues, said the government needs to concentrate on waste reduction, like in other EU countries. «The basis of our proposals… involves reducing the quantities and the harmfulness of waste production, selecting and recycling waste at the source and involving the active participation of consumers,» TEE pointed out in its report. Other recommended measures included updating waste collection methods, safely disposing of rubbish and banning illegal landfills. Turning to a Council of State decision earlier this week which rejected objections from eastern Attica residents to new landfills being created in their area, TEE said that new technologies could be better used. «If we follow today’s planning and create three new landfills in Fyli, Keratea and Grammatiko, then we will be soon burying waste remnants… even though today’s technologies could help reduce the problem,» added Theohari.
