Market Intelligence
Waste Management and Recycling Greece

Greece Waste Management Opportunities

In line with European Union directives, Greece’s implementation of waste management legislation creates opportunities for U.S. firms. The country has amended its 2020-2030 National Waste Treatment Plan, transferring the waste management responsibility to the Regulatory Authority for Energy and expanding its scope to become the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water (RAWEW).  There are several planned projects to upgrade existing wastewater treatment units and construct new units. According to the Ministry of Energy and the Environment, there are currently 12 wastewater plants in operation with 23 under construction throughout Greece.

Legislative Framework of Waste Management in Greece

Throughout the past decade, there has been a significant number of EU Directives regulating specific waste management issues which Greece has adopted:

  • Amendment to the National Waste Management Plan of 2020–2030 in April 2023 which allows the transformation of existing or planned Centers for Sorting Recyclable Materials (CSRM) to Waste Treatment Units (WTU).  The Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy has the final authority in determining the number of facilities at the country level, as well as regions of service per unit and of their location units. This law allows privately initiated projects for the creation of waste-to-energy units it will support with 600 million Euro investments in recycling recovery units.
  • Law 5037/2023, which came into force in March 2023, transfers waste management to the Regulatory Authority for Energy which is renamed to Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water. Article 253 allows for the installation of small biological treatment units on high productivity lands.
  • Enactment of Law 4819/2021 came into force in July 2021 and concerns waste management, plastic products and the protection of the environment. Greece incorporated the two most important EU directives of the second European Action Plan for the Circular Economy (2020) (i.e., EU Directive 2018/851 on waste and EU Directive 2018/852 on packaging and packaging waste) into the national legislation. The law supports the national waste management plan, with the goal of minimizing landfills to 10% by 2030, five years earlier than the EU requirement. Waste management legislation and policy now includes, in addition to reuse and recycling, other waste streams such as energy recovery. There is a provision in the law for the creation of waste energy recovery units, where the solid waste will be used for energy production (article 63).  Since January 2022, all non-recyclable waste (residue) can be used as secondary fuel in the energy-intensive industry and in energy utilization units.
  • Ministerial Decision no. 99398/6484 was issued in 2020 which establishes a unified and stricter legislative framework for environmental licensing for Waste Processing Facilities and shortens the relevant procedures.

Opportunities for U.S. firms

There are several projects throughout Greece either currently running or in development for the installation and management of Solid Waste Treatment units.  The projects are financed by the Operational Program “Transport Infrastructures - Environment and Sustainable Development 2014-2020”, which includes resources from the Greek Solid Waste Management Agencies (FODSA) or local municipalities, European funds, etc.  The primary Greek firms involved in these projects include GEK Terna, Helektor, AVAX, Intrakat, Mytilyneos, Messogeios, Thalis and Watt.

Contracts for the construction of six new units are expected to be signed within the first half of 2025, with four more planned by the end of 2025.

In January 2025, a contract for the construction of the new Recovery and Recycling and Pre-Selected Biowaste Unit in Nafpaktos with a budget of 36 million euros was signed. The project is funded by the NSRF 2021-2027 and brings significant innovations including provisions to drastically reduce waste landfilling. In addition, it is the first unit in the country that will manage waste from two different regions, providing waste management solutions for the municipalities of Nafpaktos, Iera Polis Messolongi, Thermo and Doridos.

U.S. firms engaged in waste treatment and interested in expanding their activities in the Greek market should contact U.S. Commercial Service Greece’s Environmental Industry Specialist Teresa Gile at Teresa.Gile@trade.gov.