Lefkimmi Residents’ Memo to the Athens meeting about waste management

Nobody in Corfu wants to send the waste elsewhere. On the contrary, the need for Integrated Solid Waste Management is generally agreed.

The impasse, however, that we find ourselves in through the responsible authorities and the consequent crisis necessitate the temporary transfer of solid waste to the nearest receptive area.

The legal requirements for this action have been met as “there is neither another legally operational Landfill” in Corfu, nor a “legally operational storage location” according to the law.

The landfill in Central Corfu is indeed oversaturated and violates all the regulations of the Environmental Requirements Approval Decision (ERAD) of 2016 and has aggregated successive fines, and the illegal South Corfu Landfill, with its long-term conflicts, has not been licensed. In specific, it violates all of the spatial criteria, there has not been a legal decision from ERAD, whereas the last ERAD amendment blatantly contravenes the relevant PECA proposals and legal regulations and was rejected by the State Council’s decision in 1999. Consequently, as a poorly designed, incomplete and illegal plan, it is impossible for it to receive a licence.

In any case, according to research, a legal receptive area, is realistically available in Western Macedonia and in the near future in Epirus. The transportation cost does not significantly exceed (possibly less than) the total cost of Interim Management - estimated at over 5 million Euros annually. This latter includes 2.350.000 Euros for the module and baler operation in the Central Corfu Integrated Waste Disposal Facility; 925.000 Euros for the transportation of waste bales and the operation of the South Corfu Landfill for the extremely conservative estimate of 24.000 tons annually, which is foreseen to double; 24-hour security for the landfill; the completion and modification of the South Corfu landfill etc.

Our COMMITTEE, taking into consideration all the factors suggests the following:

Of the possible solutions for the transportation of mixed and baled recyclable solid waste to a Sanitary Landfill or a Unit for Dangerous Waste, the optimum choice is to Western Macedonia Sanitary Landfill. Despite the relative increase in weight, the coast of burial would be significantly reduced and, most importantly, there would be no need for the expensive and inefficient Alternative Interim Management. A beneficial consequence of this proposal is the release of the 1.94 hectare area, currently occupied by the module and baler at Central Corfu Integrated Waste Disposal Facility, and the minimization of the time needed to upgrade the same area as the Mixed Dangerous Waste Unit. These procedures are provided for by PECA as well as by the last ERAD Amendment for the Central Corfu Integrated Waste Disposal Facility/2016.

Based on the aforementioned, we consider that the completion of the interim Dangerous Waste Unit and the coordinated setting-up of a new Central Corfu Sanitary Landfill can be limited to about 2 years, due to its urgency and the necessary support from the State.

An important requirement is the immediate and coordinated initiation of all the PECA infrastructure and actions with the priorities being Sorting at Source, Green Spots and Zones, Waste Transfer Station, home composting, Waste Special Management Zone, etc.

The guarantee of the aforementioned provisions will alleviate the upset communities, prevent reactions that could have an unpredictable impact at this difficult time and lead to social consensus.

 Our COMMITTEE calls on:

-the Government to implement this proposal for the provisional transportation of solid waste out of Corfu.

-the General Secretary for Waste Management Coordination, Ministry of Interior and to agree to waste transportation for up to 3 years.

-the coordinators for Decentralized Administration to issue a relevant decision.

RESIDENTS’ COMMITTEE AGAINST THE SOUTHERN SANITARY LANDFILL / ARISTOTELIS KOTINAS