Generation and management of construction and demolition waste in Greece - an existing challenge

In Greece, the construction industry has been developing rapidly over the past decades and the Olympic Games that, will be held in Athens in 2004 have made this development even more intense. The stream of construction and demolition (C&D) waste must be dealt with special attention because of the shortage of landfill space for disposal and the various dangerous substances contained in it, which, can potentially affect the environment and human life if not managed properly. The working group of the NTUA was provided with a grant by Eurostat in order to collect data and illustrate the current status in the country in regards to C&D waste. This paper presents the results of the study and analyses the generation sources, the estimated quantities of C&D waste as well as the current waste management practices in Greece. Recommendations are made in order to deal with this problem effectively and promote sustainable waste management solutions such as reuse and recycling. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.