Flood debris set to match average annual waste

Around 70,000 tons of waste are expected to find their way to the landfill serving the regional units of Karditsa and Trikala in Thessaly in the aftermath of the devastating floods that left entire villages reduced to rubble, local officials say. This staggering amount is approximately equivalent to the annual waste generation of both areas combined.

Nikos Sakkas, the head of the region’s waste management agency, paints a grim picture, stating: “There are villages like Palamas, where the destruction is total. Only the walls of the houses remain. Everything else, from electrical appliances to furniture and clothes, has been destroyed.” Fortunately, Sakkas notes that the landfill does not face capacity constraints.

Authorities have determined that the sole feasible solution is to bury the garbage, given the impracticality of sorting within the muddy debris. Sakkas explains, “The mud does not come off; it made no sense to attempt washing the garbage to reduce its volume.” He also points out that recycling, even of electrical appliances, is not viable due to a surge of scavengers as soon as residents began cleaning their homes.