THESSALONIKI. Over 100 football pitches are estimated to be filled – and even at a height of two meters from the ground – Excavation, Construction and Demolition Waste (AEKK) waste in Northern Greece, which, instead of being delivered to licensed recycling units, has accumulated by 2001 today in streams, makeshift dumps, riverbeds, highways, even in… protected wetlands.
Speaking to RES-EIA, Elias Dimitriadis, president of “ANAKEM SA”, AEKK’s alternative management collective system, based in Thessaloniki, has 15 units in Northern Greece (four in Thessaloniki, Greece). two in Serres and one in Xanthi and one in Pella, Imathia, Drama, Kavala, Kastoria and the prefectures of Rodopi and Evros).
Overall, AEK’s estimated to be uncontrollably accumulated in various areas of northern Greece by private and public works approach 1.5 million tonnes, according to Mr Dimitriadis.
Over 70% of the AECC produced is illegally deposited
He adds that illegal dumping of this kind amounts to – or exceeds – 70% of the total AEKK production in northern Greece. And he notes that mainly in areas that are not served by recycling units and the institution is not fully implemented, even on major road projects, it is not uncommon to see rubble “mountains” that remain … unscathed, within a few kilometers of the construction sites:
The large discounts offered by contractors to take over the works from the State are ‘narrowing’ their financial margins (the state pays, as he says, for transport but not yet for the contribution that contractors have to pay to the systems, in order for the AECCs to receive the recycling units). As a result, the inert ones often end up where they are.
The exceptions and the areas of Thessaloniki, which were roasted… up to six meters
The situation is further complicated by the fact that certain categories of waste – such as soil from excavations by public works – have been exempted from the requirement to be transported to recycling plants, with the result – as Mr Dimitriadis argues – in some areas of the east , as in western Thessaloniki, the ground has been “raised” by up to six meters.
The reasons why uncontrolled disposal “holds well” are identified as a mix of factors, including – among other things – the lack of recycling units, the “do not pay” mindset, the cost and operation of illegal rubbish containers.
More specifically, as an engineer who wishes to maintain his anonymity in RES-EIA observes, manufacturers are virtually trapped, as though Law 3854/2010 forces them to transfer AECCs to recycling plants, but such plants do not exist in all prefectures (as – inter alia – the financial crisis and the downturn in construction have stalled their growth), causing contractors to be forced or put their hands deep in their pockets to move rubble to the nearest unit, possibly a is in another area … or ILLEGAL under threat of high fines and imprisonment.
“Why pay when I can avoid it?”
Despite the very high fines and statutory prison sentences (as illegal dumping is now considered a criminal offense), even in areas where there are units, rubbish trucks from private and public works carry out regular night trips, unloading tons AECK within walking distance of construction sites.
Why are they doing this? “Mostly not to bear the shipping cost of delivering to a unit – which is much higher than any recycling company fee – but sometimes because of the” why pay when I can avoid it? “Mentality.” Elena Kaisidou, president of “ANABE SA”, another collective alternative management system, under which the umbrella includes – in the North Greece area – 14 units (of which, according to the company’s website, five in Thessaloniki and the rest in Mrs. leap, Drama, Xanthi and Rodopi).
Illegal Units: Recycling Coming Soon
Indicatively, Ms. Kaisidou cites the example of a two-storey building in Kavala, whose demolition resulted in only… five tons of wood. ‘As she notes, licensed units in Northern Greece are over 30, but many of them operate illegally and are themselves system administrators who are often forced to look for those who do not cooperate with the system:
“You see signs of ‘Recycling coming soon’ or ‘rubbish’ from businesses that are totally illegally collecting AEKK,” he says, adding that the problem is particularly acute in areas such as Pieria and Pella, where there is building activity.