The background
Imagine a room filled with 50,000 elephants. This is roughly the same weight as the 250,000 tonnes of waste generated annually in the Peloponnese region of Greece.
Waste management has long been a challenge in many EU regions, including the Peloponnese. However, the region has made significant progress. It has laid the groundwork to transform waste into a valuable resource through the implementation of an integrated waste management system, whilst in parallel also implementing a program for the closure and rehabilitation of old dumpsites.
The challenge
Previously, the Peloponnese region lacked proper waste management infrastructure, resulting in untreated waste being disposed of in dumpsites, which polluted the environment and caused health risks.
Prior to the project implementation, it was estimated that up to 90% of municipal waste was disposed of in non-sanitary dumpsites without treatment.
At the time, existing infrastructure consisted of one sanitary landfill, 21 dumpsites, and four sorting plants which relied mainly on hand sorting, resulting in a high percentage of residues.
The action
To address these issues, the Region of Peloponnese initiated the construction of an integrated waste management system. This system includes three integrated waste management centres (IWMCs) in Arkadia, Messinia, and Lakonia, and two transfer stations in Argolida and Corinthia. These are complemented with a new region-wide plan for the separate collection of waste streams.
The integrated waste management system was designed to treat, recover and recycle waste efficiently, produce compost for agricultural use, and generate energy from biogas.
Our experts, as part of the EIB advisory services, assisted on project demand, technical option analysis, financial analysis, risk assessment, climate change adaptation and State aid assessment. Our role included:
- assistance in elaboration of option analyses to assess the degree of centralization of the IWMCs, site selection, and technology choices to optimize efficiency and effectiveness,
- guidance on climate change to ensure the project aligns with EU requirements and incorporates measures to make the project climate resilient, and,
- support in development of the overall project documentation through the review of technical, financial and economic analyses, environmental and risk assessments, and providing comprehensive advice throughout the project lifecycle.
The investment size is over €125 million and is implemented under a Public Private Partnership (PPP). With the help of expert advice provided by EIB under JASPERS, in April 2025 a €65 million EU Cohesion Fund grant was allocated. The remaining investment is provided by private investors and national public sources.
The results
The project, which was fully inaugurated in April 2025, is to bring many benefits.
Environmentally, it reduces pollution and health hazards both by minimizing waste materials sent to landfills and increasing recycling, while also lowering greenhouse gas emissions through advanced waste treatment systems and renewable energy production.
Economically, it's creating jobs and saving costs with efficient waste collection and treatment.
Furthermore, crucially the system enables the Region of Peloponnese to achieve regulatory compliance with EU Directive 2018/851/EU, targeting increased reuse and recycling rates in the coming years.
The project also contributes to tackling climate change through greenhouse gas reduction, strategic alignment with climate adaptation plans, and the definition of climate resilience measures.