Makeover for toxic landfill
The green light was given yesterday for the resumed operation of the disused landfill at Schisto, northwestern Athens, where millions of tons of radioactive, as well as regular household waste, was dumped for two decades. A decision signed by Deputy Interior Minister Thanassis Nakos means almost 1 million euros has been earmarked for a project that will be the third and final phase of restoring the site so that it does not pose a health risk to residents. Apartment blocks border on the site, where from 1979 to 1999 some 10 million tons of radioactive waste from the Drapetsona phosphorus fertilizer factory was discarded. The dump was shut down in 2003. Until that time, 3 million tons of household waste was also sent to Schisto. The project to restore the site, which until now has involved covering the remnants of the waste dumped there with plastic sheets and mounds of earth is due to be completed by next June.
