A new era for waste management in the Peloponnese Region was marked today by the arrival of the first garbage trucks of the Municipality of Tripoli at the Intermediate Waste Management Unit in Paleochouni, which will serve Arcadia, Corinth and Argolida. For the first time, waste from the Peloponnese is not disposed of in landfills or in uncontrolled areas, endangering the environment and threatening public health, but is promoted for sound and safe management in the modern new unit that commenced operation in Arcadia.

The Intermediate Waste Management period will last up to 14 months and after the start of the integrated management, it will be the most modern waste management unit in the country and one of the most modern in Europe. Among the multiple advantages of the new unit is the fact that the Landfill is located close to the unit, which allows to minimize the transport of waste.

It is worth noting that the modern, socially responsible and fully integrated waste management in the Peloponnese Region, Greece, becomes a reality as of today, following the relevant amendment of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Agreement for the Integrated Waste Management of this region, signed between the Peloponnese Region Authority and the entity “Perivallontiki of Peloponnese’’, member of TERNA ENERGY Group.

When the project is fully operational, landfill will be prevented and at least 65% of biodegradable materials will be utilized, 50,000 tons of liquid waste will be diverted from landfills, and green energy will be generated to serve the needs of 6,000 households, while avoiding release of 24,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

In the context of this project, 800 jobs will be created during the construction period and 200 permanent jobs will emerge during the operating period (27 years). These benefits in terms of employment do not include the indirect jobs and benefits that will be generated (in areas such as transport, marketing of recyclables, accommodation of personnel, environmental school excursions, etc.).

In total, the project concerns an investment of 152 million Euros (62.5 of which derive from NSRF – National Strategic Reference Framework funding) which refers to the construction and operation of the following:

• Three (3) Transitional Management Units and three (3) Waste Processing Units with a total capacity of 200,000 tons / year

• Three (3) Sanitary Landfills Sites

• Two (2) Waste Transfer Stations

The units described above have been located in the counties of Arcadia, Messinia and Laconia, whereas the Waste Transfer Stations have been located in the counties of Corinth and Argolida. By this manner, the waste materials will be collected at a distance of less than 50 kilometres from the capitals of the counties / prefectures of Peloponnese Region, contributing to the minimization of transport requirements from the respective Municipalities.

The project, by using state-of-the-art technology, implements most of the Peloponnese Regional Waste Management Plan, operates alongside and in addition to the Local Recycling Programs of municipalities, and applies the best practices when it comes to the principles of circular economy.