Toxic garbage taxes Salonica
As toxic hospital waste and manufacturers’ refuse join the thousands of tons of household trash piling up on the streets of Thessaloniki, a local prosecutor has called a meeting with local mayors to solve the problem before the public health hazard gets out of hand. The city’s two main landfills – a new one at Mavrorachi that has been blocked by protesting locals and a saturated one at Tagarades that recently reopened – are both reportedly barring trucks arriving with waste from hospitals and local industries. As a result, this trash is ending up on the streets and locals are complaining. The problem has reportedly become acute in five municipalities where garbage has grown into veritable hills on the streets. Local mayors, who are to meet chief prosecutor Vassilis Floridis today, had talks with Deputy Interior Minister Thanassis Nakos in Athens earlier this week. Nakos reportedly promised them 1.1 million euros for containers and tractors to transport trash. But where this garbage is to be dumped was still unclear yesterday.
