Athens: Gazi becomes model; recycling square

Apart from being an entertainment and recreation center in Athens, for young people and those who feel young, the square in Gazi is being transformed into a model square for recycling, as it has entered the perspective of zero waste, aiming to reduce such by more than 85% within a short time.

Already 18 special bins for the separation of 4 types of waste have been placed in selected points around the square in Gazi, as well as in Koulouri Square and seven brown bins from the Municipality of Athens contribute to the collection of organic waste (food) from 79 cafes, which are participating in the actions of Zero Waste Future.

So far the results are extremely encouraging as about 180 tons of recyclable materials have been collected and are ready to be used to give life to new products, while 110,000 citizens have been made aware and informed about recycling and circular economy issues. In fact, their number is expected to increase significantly in the coming months.

At the same time, as part of the initiative, every day a mobile “green” spot and the team of the Ecological Recycling Company visit 15 well-known squares in Athens, giving citizens the opportunity to weigh their recyclable materials and win discount coupons, which they can use in  the cooperating companies of the program in Gazi.

Within 20 days, more than 5,000 people have been informed by the mobile “green” point in the neighborhoods of Athens.

As Nikolaos Avramidis, Deputy Mayor for Cleaning and Recycling of the Municipality of Athens, stated: “For us in the Municipality of Athens, 2021 is a crucial year of recycling and informing and sensitizing the citizens about the benefits. The Zero Waste Future program implemented by the municipality in collaboration with Coca Cola, the Hellenic Recycling Utilization Company (EEAA) and the Ecological Recycling Company (OEA) in Gazi has already reached a significant number of citizens of all ages, in order to understand and adopt the zero waste philosophy.

“At the same time”, according to Mr. Avramidis, “the program has significantly strengthened the effort we have started for the management of organic waste from areas of health interest with the participation of many companies in the area.”

As the Deputy Mayor for Cleaning characteristically stated: “Our expectation, through our initiatives, is to rebuild a relationship of public trust with recycling, with the ultimate goal of increasing our percentages in our city from about 2.5% which was in 2019 to 5% in 2021 and 10% in 2022 “.

In total, to date, through the actions of the social platform Zero Waste Future which started in 2018 as a pilot program in Thessaloniki, more than 510 tons of recyclable materials have been collected and more than 480,000 citizens have been informed and sensitized through educational activities focused on recycling and a second life for plastic waste.

It should be noted that at the beginning of July 2021 the distribution of many disposable plastics stopped, while a few days ago the new bill on waste management was announced, which provides, inter alia, for: a) reduction of food waste by 30% by 2030 in in relation to 2022, in particular by encouraging the use of food suitable for human consumption, by providing incentives for their donation or by further promoting their use as animal fodder; b) the mandatory separate collection of recyclable materials at public points , c) the obligation for separate collection of food waste in restaurants.

In Greece more than 110,000 companies belong to the HORECA sector, while according to recent data of the Ecological Recycling Company, more than 25% of the waste comes from the coffee and hospitality companies. It goes without saying that the contribution of these companies is expected to be crucial in increasing recycling rates and drastically reducing food surpluses through systematic recording and monitoring.

Zero Waste Future Gas was designed to help increase recycling rates in the area and train HoReCa professionals and business owners on prevention, recycling and circular economy. Now the program has passed to the second phase of its implementation which will last until the end of July 2021 and is expected to continue in 2022.