Today’s post from Giorgos Chatzimarkos Head of South Aegean Region and Chairman of the FoDSA Board on FACEBOOK
Today, as I shared the post of the Secretary General for Waste Management at Greece’s Ministry of Environment, Manolis Grafakos, from the Kos Landfill (KYT), I couldn’t hide my emotion.
What is now being presented as an institutional milestone was, for us, the result of months of relentless work, pressure, criticism, personal attacks and an ongoing battle against time, bureaucracy and deeply rooted inefficiencies.
When the South Aegean Waste Management Authority (FODSA South Aegean) took over the Kos landfill in September 2024, we did not inherit a properly functioning environmental facility. We inherited an environmental wound—a site that had become a source of pollution, legal uncertainty and financial penalties, damaging both the island’s environment and its reputation.
In just 20 months, through hard work, planning and determination, we transformed that reality. We restored the site, carried out major rehabilitation works, introduced proper operational standards, secured its environmental permit and obtained its operating licence. What had long symbolized neglect and mismanagement is now a legally compliant environmental infrastructure.
This is far more than an administrative achievement. It is an environmental, legal and moral vindication.
The journey was not easy. While the real environmental problems had been tolerated for years, opposition emerged only when meaningful change began. As restoration works progressed, so did criticism, misinformation and personal attacks against those who chose responsibility over complacency.
Today I want to sincerely thank everyone who made this possible: the management, engineers, technical staff and employees of the South Aegean FODSA, led by General Director Christos Gamvroudis, as well as the elected Regional Councillors of Kos, who endured intense criticism while remaining committed to protecting the public interest.
This achievement belongs to Kos, to Kalymnos and to the entire South Aegean. More importantly, it belongs to future generations who deserve modern, environmentally responsible waste management—not the failures of the past.
Today’s milestone is not the end of the journey. It is another important step forward.
At the same time, work continues on the €100+ million Public-Private Partnership project that will deliver Integrated Waste Recovery and Recycling Facilities for Kos and Kalymnos. This marks the transition from simple landfill disposal to recovery, recycling, resource efficiency and modern European waste management.
That is the future our islands deserve.
Not slogans. Results.
Not toxicity. Responsibility.
Not hypocrisy. Measurable progress.
Not abandonment. Environmental protection in practice.
Kos deserves better.
Kalymnos deserves better.
Our environment deserves respect.
Our citizens deserve honesty and accountability.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Manolis Grafakos, Secretary General for Waste Management at the Ministry of Environment, for his consistent cooperation and valuable support throughout this demanding but essential process.
We move forward—with a plan, determination and unwavering respect for our islands, our citizens, our environment and the generations to come.
