• Circular Economy

    Circular Economy

    What is Circular Economy?

    Circular Economy is a new concept of how our economy should be! In a Circular Economy waste and pollution are being designed out, products and materials are being kept in use longer, through reuse, repair and remanufacture and our natural systems are able to regenerate by enhancing our natural resources and ecosystems.

    Circular Economy is more than Recycling!! We target in Prevention and Re-use of materials!

    Recycling is an essential part of a circular economy, where we make use of materials and nutrients by re-introducing them in the economy, when all other options of reuse, repair, remanufacture are no longer applicable.

    In a Circular Economy we use resources in a more sustainable efficient way throughout their life cycle from designing, to production, consumption and lastly disposal.

    Where are we now?

    Europe has adopted the Circular Economy Package to help with the transition from a linear to a circular economy. The Circular Economy Package including the Circular Economy Strategy and Circular Economy Action Plan introduce legislative revisions and actions for all member states including Greece, to make the transition possible.

    In 2018 Greece has produced 5.523.809 tonnes of municipal waste, with landfilling being the main waste management method.

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    Compared to the EU – 28 average it is obvious that Greece has to overcome a major challenge!
    But not all hope is lost!! A Zero Waste future within the 21st century can be achieved through the adoption of the Circular Economy.
    In 2018, as part of the Circular Economy framework new ambitious goals for recycling have been adopted by the EU. According to 851 and 852/2018 Directives member starts should achieve by 2030:

    • Municipal waste recycling up to 65%
    • Packaging waste recycling up to 75%
    • Landfilling less than 10%

    It is essential now for us and our future generations to transition from our current linear economy model:
    “take - make – use – dispose”,
    to a circular economy model:
    “Rethink – Reuse – Repair - Remanufacture – Recycle”.

     

Κυκλική Οικονομία

Σήμερα, το 80% των Αστικών Στερεών Αποβλήτων (ΑΣΑ) περίπου οδηγείται προς ταφή

80%

Το μέλλον χωρίς Απόβλητα είναι εφικτό εντός του αιώνα που διανύουμε εαν ακολουθήσουμε το μοντέλο της Κυκλικής Οικονομίας.

Τον Μάιο 2018 εγκρίθηκαν στο πλαίσιο της κυκλικής οικονομίας νέοι κανόνες για τα απόβλητα με ορίζοντα το 2030:

  • ανακύκλωση του 65% των ΑΣΑ
  • ανακύκλωση των απορριμμάτων συσκευασιών σε ποσοστό 75%
  • υγειονομική ταφή <10% 

Από το γραμμικό μοντέλο του «παράγω, καταναλώνω, πετάω», πρέπει να περάσουμε στο κυκλικό μοντέλο οικονομικής ανάπτυξης «παράγω, καταναλώνω, επανακτώ, επαναχρησιμοποιώ και ανακυκλώνω».

Είναι το οικονομικό και κοινωνικό μοντέλο που μιμείται τη ΦΥΣΗ. Η φύση δεν παράγει απόβλητα! Το ίδιο πρέπει να μάθουμε να κάνουμε και εμείς!

European Union’s Strategy for Plastics

European Union’s Strategy for Plastics

Plastics is a very common and widely used material used in our everyday life. The increased use of plastics over the past decades especially single-used plastics has led to serious pollution in the natural environment and ecosystems.

In 2018 the EU acknowledging the extended environmental issues created by plastics has adopted the European Strategy for Plastics as part of the Circular Economy Package and in 2019 has adopted the 2019/904

Directive promoting sustainable production and consumption of plastics as well as the prevention of plastic waste, and to reduce and ban the most common single/use plastics attempting to tackle plastics pollution.

It has been calculated that in the EU beaches, 80 to 85% of beach waste is plastic, 50% of them is single-use plastics and a 27% is fishing gear with plastic parts (904/2019 Directive).

As such, in 2030 all plastic packaging in the EU market must be recyclable, the use of single/use plastics must be reduced and microplastics within the products must be eliminated. Furthermore, specific targets have been set to regarding single plastics


• Ban of specific single-use plastic products (cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, straws, beverage stirrers, food containers made of polystyrene, products made from oxodegradable plastic, etc);
• Separate collection of PET bottles (up to 3Lt) up to 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029;
• 25% of recycled material in new PET bottles by 2025;
• 30% of recycled material in new PET bottles by 2029

National Goals

National Goals

Greece in alignment to the EU legislation must achieve the following goals

National Goals 2121