Μake us preferred on Google Greece is preparing a series of investments approaching €2 billion to expand and modernize its waste management infrastructure, with projects ranging from new treatment facilities in Attica and the Aegean islands to a planned network of six waste-to-energy plants.
The plans also include changes to the country’s waste infrastructure map and the introduction of a new deposit return system (DRS) for recyclable packaging.
The next steps were outlined by Manolis Grafakos, secretary-general for Waste Management Coordination at Greece’s Ministry of Environment and Energy, speaking at the 9th Conference of the Hellenic Solid Waste Management Association.
Among the projects at the center of the plans are public-private partnership (PPP) tenders for waste treatment facilities in Fyli and Schisto in Attica, new facilities on Santorini and Ikaria, and revisions to waste management planning across the Aegean.
Fyli and Schisto projects to be updated
Grafakos announced that developments are expected in November on two PPP tenders for waste treatment facilities in Attica, with a combined initial budget of approximately €762 million, excluding VAT.
At Fyli, authorities are expected to approve the launch of a tender to convert the existing Mechanical Recycling and Composting Plant into a Recovery and Recycling Facility.
At Schisto, the design is also expected to be updated, with the planned Waste Treatment Facility converted into a Recovery and Recycling Facility. The changes are intended to allow the tender process, which is effectively frozen, to resume.
The two facilities will be developed through PPPs. The Fyli facility was initially designed for an annual capacity of 450,000 tons, while the Schisto facility was initially planned for 250,000 tons per year. Those capacities could be revised as part of the updated planning.
Of the original €762 million budget, €461.2 million was allocated to the Fyli facility, with the remainder allocated to Schisto.
Grafakos has previously estimated that, if contracts with the successful bidders are signed in 2027, the Schisto facility and the upgraded facility at Fyli could begin operating in late 2029 or early 2030.
New waste facility planned for Santorini
The government has also approved steps to accelerate the acquisition of land needed for a new waste treatment facility on Santorini.
The decision allows the required expropriations to proceed under a special procedure designed to speed up the acquisition of land.
The relevant application was submitted by the South Aegean Solid Waste Management Association to the Environment Ministry in October 2025, in coordination with the Municipality of Thira.
The project has a total budget of €39.42 million excluding VAT and is currently in the second stage of its PPP tender, involving competitive dialogue with four candidates.
Securing the necessary land is considered a key step toward advancing the project.
Ikaria seeks a permanent waste solution
The government has also approved the expropriation of land needed for a new waste treatment facility on Ikaria.
The island has faced persistent problems with waste disposal and the operation of existing sites. In summer 2025, the Municipality of Ikaria had warned that waste could end up remaining on streets and in public squares.
The new facility is intended to provide a permanent waste management solution for the island.
A new waste infrastructure map for the Aegean
For the North Aegean, Grafakos said a decision on infrastructure in Samos and Lesbos is expected in October.
In the South Aegean, the existing plan calls for facilities on Syros, Paros and Mykonos, but it is expected to be updated to include Naxos.
A separate tender had previously been launched for a waste treatment facility on Naxos, with an estimated value of €15.94 million excluding VAT, but the process did not proceed as planned because of legal disputes.
For Syros, Paros and Mykonos, the South Aegean regional government launched a unified project in January 2026 for waste transfer and recycling and recovery infrastructure, with an indicative total budget of €194.92 million.
The project includes Recovery and Recycling Facilities with annual capacities of 23,000 tons on Mykonos, 15,000 tons on Paros and 17,000 tons on Syros, as well as a waste transfer station on Tinos.
More than €1 billion planned for waste-to-energy
Another major component of the government’s strategy is the development of infrastructure for the energy recovery of waste.
Grafakos said the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment for the plan is expected to be issued by the end of 2026.
The plan calls for a network of six waste-to-energy facilities in different parts of Greece, with a combined estimated capacity of approximately 1.18 million tons per year of waste-derived energy feedstock.
The total estimated investment is more than €1 billion.
The Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment was put out for public consultation by the Environment Ministry in August 2025. The ministry has since been working on revisions based on comments from market stakeholders, including proposals concerning the capacity of the facilities and safeguards ensuring that energy recovery will focus on waste remaining after recycling.
The plan provides for the use of secondary fuels such as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and solid recovered fuel (SRF) produced from municipal waste processing, with the aim of reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills.
Once the environmental assessment is approved, authorities will establish the regulatory and financing framework and begin procedures for developing the facilities. Grafakos has previously said that specific sites will be selected when the tenders begin.
Deposit return system moves forward
Grafakos also said the Deposit Return System (DRS) is expected to receive approval from the Hellenic Recycling Agency in October.
The system would allow consumers to receive a deposit refund when they return empty packaging to designated collection points, primarily targeting plastic bottles and metal beverage cans.
Approval of the operational plan would clear the way for the Hellenic Recycling Utilization Company to submit a new operational plan for collecting recyclable packaging through Greece’s familiar blue recycling bins.
The DRS Hellas operational plan was submitted to the Hellenic Recycling Agency in August and was under evaluation, with the process expected to be completed by the end of the year.
