- Piles of garbage and bulky waste blocked Heraklion streets for weeks.
- The Public Prosecutor stepped in after health authorities rang alarm bells.
- The breakdown at the recycling center worsened the crisis until its reopening on August 20.
- City crews, reinforced by technical and civil protection teams, now wage an “operation broom.”
- A new international tender promises a mixed waste-management system.
A City Buried Under Its Trash
By mid-August, Heraklion resembled less a Mediterranean jewel and more an open-air landfill. Mountains of garbage bags and bulky junk decorated the pavements, sparking outrage from locals who felt their city had been abandoned to rot.
The stench was not just unpleasant — it was a red flag for public health. The Directorate of Public Health of the Region of Crete formally raised the alarm, and the Prosecutor of the Court of First Instance launched an investigation. The question: Is this just negligence, or a genuine health threat with names attached?
Promise of Reform
With the reopening of the city’s recycling sorting center on August 20 — shuttered since July 29 due to mechanical failure — municipal crews finally had somewhere to send the heaps. What followed was nothing short of a military-style cleanup.
- All sanitation staff are deployed on the streets.
- Reinforcements from the Technical Service and Civil Protection.
- Goal: restore the city to something resembling normality.
The Deputy Mayor for Sanitation struck a note of weary optimism, asking residents for patience and promising that “the situation will soon stabilize.”
Meanwhile, the longer game begins: an international competition to overhaul Heraklion’s waste-management system. The plan involves a mixed collection model and, until the new contractor arrives, a “bridge plan” to keep the city from drowning in its refuse again.
For now, Heraklionites watch garbage trucks move like an army across the streets. The smell lingers, the anger simmers, and everyone wonders whether this is a cleanup — or just the intermission before the next act of the rubbish drama.
