The Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands is pleased to announce its award at the 1st annual exhibition “Smart Cities 2023” and the “Smart Cities Awards” held at Zappeio Megaro on 16-17 June 2023, regarding its activities in the sector of recycling and in particular for the establishment of the new municipal recycling network (new waste networks, new infrastructure, special municipal recycling website, etc.).

Literally starting from scratch, the Municipality has to present a rich activity in the field of recycling, creating the base and the conditions to be able to “run” at even faster rates of recycling with “Sorting at the Source” in the new municipal period. More specifically:

– 8 new streams of separate waste collection were created, through which more than 3000 tonnes of recyclable materials have already been collected. These are:

  1. 51 collection points for batteries,
  2. 40 collection points for cigarette butts,
  3. 25 collection points for clothes and shoes,
  4. 20 collection points for lamps,
  5. 10 collection points for electrical and electronic devices,
  6. 10 collection points for ink cartridges,
  7. 1 collection point for unexpired medicines and
  8. 1 Marine Waste Collection Station (the 1st S.S.TH.A.).

– The School Recycling Marathon entitled “Let’s Recycle” is continuously implemented in all the schools of our Municipality as part of the information and awareness programme «Followgreen». 

– The placement of composting bins in the primary education school units of our Municipality has begun and until the start of the new school period 2023-2024, they will also be placed in the secondary education school units.

– Created for the 1st time in the history of the island of Corfu, an easy-to-understand online guide to sustainable waste management called recycle.corfu.gr, trying to offer its citizens the necessary answers to the very basic questions (Who, Why, How, Where, When) regarding the sustainable management of their waste but also, for the available solutions for the separate collection of waste streams already offered within the limits of the Municipality, in order to decisively reduce their failures at the most important stage of “Sorting at Source”. 

By the end of 2023, the Municipality will also develop, for the first time, municipal separate collection networks for more waste streams such as:

  • used cooking oils and fats,
  • paper and cardboard with 1,100 yellow bins and 
  • for plastic and metal objects, with more than 150 red bins. 

Also for biowaste, they are in the procurement phase approximately:

  • 1000 brown bins,
  • 2000 composting bins and
  • 20 containers for the separate collection of “green waste” 
  • 6 garbage trucks exclusively for the collection of bio-waste. 

At the same time, the necessary actions have been taken to create public facilities that will support the efficient separate collection and management of waste, such as:

  • at least 2 Green Points,
  • 5 Mobile Green Points and
  • 15 “smart” Recycling Corners with a Deposit Refund Scheme.

 

“In the fall of 2019, when we took over, we had set two main goals:

1st) To proceed with the solution of waste transportation, which some told us could not be done and

2nd) to form, from an almost zero base, infrastructures, programmes, and recycling actions.

We achieved these goals. Anyone can compare what is there now and what was there 4 years ago.

This award belongs to all our citizens, we all share this success together”, said Mayor Meropi Ydraiou, speaking immediately after the award of the Municipality.

This award of the Municipality is the 2nd in 2023 after the award of the Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands in the “GREEK GREEN AWARDS 2023” with the “ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION” award for the creation of the municipal website specifically dedicated to recycling, recycle.corfu.gr while in total it has been awarded for the 4th time in the specific municipal period in various awards throughout Greece.