GREECE

 

GREECE - SUMMARY OF POLICIES AND LEGISLATION FOR FOOD WASTE PREVENTION AND REDCUTION


Currently concrete and detailed data on food waste are not available in Greece.
However, food waste is nowadays an issue due to the effects of the economic crisis on the Greek society. According to 2010 data, the percentage of the population at risk of poverty had reached 27,7%, (1.3 million people).
Greece has a National Strategic Waste Prevention Programme, based on an assessment of socioeconomic conditions, waste prevention/management performance and interaction with other policies, proposed as a key waste stream/priority intervention area food waste.

Since February 2014, based on the art. 46§1 of Law 4238/2014, donations of food, medicines, clothes or other goods, other than those subject to excise duty, are exempted from VAT. Those goods may be available for free in public entities or private non-profit organizations, legally established in Greece with proven charitable cause to be distributed solely for the convenience or comfort of vulnerable social groups. 

The definition of waste is expressed in the Law 4042/2012 incorporating the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC. It expands the 'polluter pays' principle and sets clearer requirements across the waste management.

In Greece, there is almost a complete knowledge gap of compositional characteristics of food waste given that the legislation encouraging bio-waste separate collection and treatment has only been recently put into practice. Rather, Greece acts on food waste issues by means of social innovative actions initiated by individuals and NGOS. BOROUME is a non-profit organisation that fights food waste by organizing the distribution of surplus food for charity throughout Greece. Bread and Action collects and distributes large edible food leftovers or cooked food, to needy service centers.

Currently voluntary agreements are not in place in Greece.

A number of communication campaigns have been launched. For example, the festival against food waste held a workshop where famous chefs cooked leftovers and food products that wear near their expiry date (but safe to eat)and shared valuable cooking tips and recipies with the objective to reduce food waste. Furthermore, the volunteer-run campaign, "Let’s do it Greece" makes a systematic effort to disseminate and exploit best practices related to reducing food waste and has published a guide for Food waste reduction at home and food services.

Figure.1 Greece’s policy mix at December 2014
 

 


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REFERENCES

A) GREECE’S NATIONAL PLAN/STRATEGY ON FOOD WASTE REDUCTION
The Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, National Waste Management Plan (in Greek)
Available from: http://www.ypeka.gr/

 

 

B) MARKET-BASED INSTRUMENTS
Law 4238/2014 art. 46, par. 1 Modification of Law 2859/2000 “Validation Code Value Added Tax”
Available from:
http://www.eforologia.gr/lawbank/document.aspx?digest=1BF72D34FECFF3F8.28B4F588A6A8&version=2014/02/17

 

C) REGULATORY INSTRUMENTS/ REGULATIONS TRADING SCHEMES
Law 4238/2014 art. 46, par. 1
Available from:
http://www.eforologia.gr/lawbank/document.aspx?digest=1BF72D34FECFF3F8.28B4F588A6A8&version=2014/02/17

Law 4042/2012 Waste generation and Management Framework
Available from: http://www.ypeka.gr/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=7Z1up05Xrto%3D&

Common Ministerial Decision 50910/2727/2003
Available from: http://www.elinyae.gr/el/item_details.jsp?item_id=3736&cat_id=2864

Law 2939/2001 Packages and alternative packaging waste management
Available from: http://www.minenv.gr/anakyklosi/law/00/law2939.pdf

Ministerial Decision 29407/3508/2002 Measures and conditions for waste landfill
Available from: http://www.elinyae.gr/el/item_details.jsp?item_id=2911&cat_id=2864

 

D) VOLUNTARY AGREEMENT
None

 

E) RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL REPORTS
WWF (2013), Food Wastage, Report (in Greek).
Available from: http://kalyterizoi.gr/fakelos

Abeliotis K., Lasaridi K., Costarelli V., Chroni C., Anagnostopoulos K. (2014), Food Waste Prevention As A Tool For Climate Change Mitigation: A Case Study From Greece, Harokopio University, School of Environment, Geography and Applied Economics.
Available from: http://adapttoclimate.uest.gr/full_paper/Abeliotis_et_al.pdf

Abeliotis K, Lasaridi K, Chroni C. (2012), Attitudes and behaviour of Greek households regarding food waste prevention, Harokopio University, School of Environment, Geography and Applied Economics.
Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24525671

Abeliotis K., Lasaridi K., Chroni C., Papakosta A. (2012), Preliminary assessment of food waste in households in Greece, Harokopio University, School of Environment, Geography and Applied Economics.
Available from: http://wasptool.hua.gr/documents/orbit12i.pdf

Integrated management of bio-waste in Greece–The case study of Athens
LIFE10 ENV/GR/605 - Summary for the technical report for selection and planning of separate collection method for the case study areas
Available from: http://www.biowaste.gr/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/2c_summary_eng_final.pdf

 

F) COMMUNICATION AND CAMPAIGNS
Festival against food wastage (in Greek)
Available from: http://kalyterizoi.gr/fakelos/

Let’s do it Greece
Available from: http://www.letsdoitgreece.org/

Better Life programme
Available from: http://www.snf.org/en/newsroom/news/2014/03/presentation-of-the-better-life-program/

The LIFE Project ENV/GR/000622«Development and Demonstration of a Waste Prevention Support Tool for Local Authorities – WASP Tool”
Available from: http://galaxy.hua.gr/~WASPtool/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=78&lang=en

MED programm2007-2013 Low Cost - Zero Waste Municipality-ZERO WASTE
Available from: http://www.med-zerowaste.eu/deliverables/Handbook.pdf

LIFE Project "Recycling Sympraxis" (Life07 ENV/GR/000265)
Available from: http://www.recyclingsympraxis.gr/en/pilot/organic_waste

 

G) PROJECTS AND OTHER MEASURES
Eco-schools (In Greek)
Available from: http://eepf.gr/el/drasi/eco-schools

Borume (In Greek)
Available from: http://www.boroume.gr/en/

NGO “Bread and Action”
Available from: http://artosdrasi.rei.gr/pan-hellenic-philanthropic-association-bread-action


All links cited in the references have been accessed for the last time on October 27, 2015.

 


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