Gov’t waste incineration model comes under fire

In a joint statement Tuesday, the Ecological Recycling Society, WWF Greece, Greenpeace Greece and the Mediterranean SOS organizations took aim at the provisions of the Environment Ministry’s national waste management plan, saying it promotes excessive waste incineration.

The organizations said the ministry was committing the country to decades of a high-cost option which is contrary to the principles of the circular economy. There is the risk, they insisted, that, in the future, it will not be possible to achieve stricter sorting targets at the source.

In the best-case scenario, the statement said, the waste incineration plants will be built no earlier than 2025-28 and will have to operate for at least 30-40 years to be sustainable.

The statement was issued after the end of consultations between the government, environmental groups and market players on the former’s plan for waste management over the next decade.