Sludge Watch ==> Greek Island Sludge Transported to Germany for Disposal

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Sludgewatch Admin:
Toronto sludge sounds like Greek sludge .... except there is no 'German 
solution'.


Sludge sets off on long trip north

The loading of partially treated sewage onto a ship that will transport the 
sludge from the islet of Psyttaleia to Germany will start today, Deputy 
Environment Minister Themistoklis Xanthopoulos said yesterday, indicating 
that different business interests are behind the delays so far.

Xanthopoulos told Parliament that the first ship, carrying 4,500 tons, will 
leave in four to five days as the Athens Water Supply and Sewage Company 
(EYDAP) exports the mounting sludge until it builds its own drying unit, 
expected to be completed in May 2007.

Some 75,000 tons of sludge have been gathering on the islet, close to 
Piraeus, as local communities refuse to accommodate sites where the sewage 
can be deposited, saying it creates unhealthy conditions. The deputy 
minister said that prefectures have been avoiding unpopular decisions due to 
October’s local elections while businesses have each been promoting their 
own profitable solution to the waste problem.

“I will talk more about this (delay) when I leave here. This is not an 
innocent story,” he said.



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