Some people inherit great mountains and rivers. Others inherit trash removal costs that rival luxury cruise tickets. On 16 islands across the South Aegean, local leaders are, with a straight face, staking everything on “Just Go Zero.” Tilos, the unsuspecting laboratory, now lends its genius to far-flung isles, including Kastellorizo, Koufonisi, Iraklia, Donousa, Folegandros, and Sikinos. All eyes shift to the “innovative know-how” carried over from a place where, rumor has it, not a single plastic bag has touched the ground in three years.
“Once given the green light, the Region will be able to implement the plan within a year,” declared G. Hatzimarkos. Some people promise bridges, others zero landfills. Given garbage collection on the islands costs up to €580 a ton, the plan seems practical only if you ignore basic math. Yet, the Greek bureaucracy’s optimism knows no bounds.
Meanwhile, in Rhodes, the epicenter of every ambitious spreadsheet in the region, planners are setting up two “closed” zones. Step one: Force Medieval Town’s restaurant sector into zero food waste compliance, followed by Lindos. These zones aim for the impossible—making tourists and tavernas responsible for their banana peels.
And it does not stop here. Hold onto your honey jars, beekeepers, for Rhodes’ five-year “Co-Lab” with European tourism giant TUI sets new benchmarks. The program aims to address a wide range of issues: upskilling, biodiversity, waste, electric transit, and even “Aegean cuisine”—now best served in compostable containers. A comedy of consultation unfolds as 117 different bodies attempt to agree on the color of the recycling bins.
Tilos: From Trash Heap to Global Influencer
Tilos, once distinguished by its landfill’s gentle aroma, shut the doors on its waste site, converting it into a visitor attraction. Over the last three years, no trash has been sent to landfills. Households and businesses sort waste into three designer bags: organics, recyclables, and everything else. Final sorting occurs centrally, a twist that spares citizens from awkward mistakes with their neighbor’s eggshells.
Let the numbers confess: household recycling rides steady beyond 80% every month, soaring to 88% as of March 2025. Businesses routinely top 90% because nothing says customer loyalty like a sparkling dumpster. Organics are diligently brewed into compost, parceled in five-liter drums, and given out free of charge—as if fertilizer were a national right.
If exporting olive oil was yesterday’s business, exporting “Just Go Zero” is today’s. Tilos’ blueprint has made its way to Abu Dhabi, where the scheme now covers 40,000 homes. Anyone who doubts Greece’s soft power hasn’t followed municipal waste management.
Governor Hatzimarkos didn’t mince words, referencing the cost dilemma and hinting the entire experiment may soon include remote mountain towns on the mainland. “We’re exploring applying the model in other, smaller mainland municipalities,” he said, proving ambition doubles as a survival tactic.
When Cities Compete at Compost: Enter Rhodes and Halki
Rhodes dreams big. Host to the five-year Rhodes Co-Lab, it’s courted strategic alliances with tourism heavyweights and scientific institutions. Every August, the island receives up to 600,000 visitors. The point is not lost in translation: if sustainability thrives in tourism, it can succeed in anything.
The Co-Lab focuses on a wide range of topics, from waste management to job skills. Current headlines include a massive waste processing plant and plans for an autonomous, energy-sipping water factory—presumably staffed by robots with a minor in environmental studies.
A roll-out of 30,500 compost bins to 30,000 homes is underway. The aim? Turn the island’s population into enthusiastic decomposers. If all goes as planned, 140,000 out of 300,000 South Aegean residents will soon be on a first-name basis with their compost.
Halki, meanwhile, is riding high as the country’s inaugural GReco-island, backed by €168 million in European funds. Through the installation of solar arrays, the island’s businesses have seen annual electricity bills drop by up to €10,000, while individuals pocket between €800 and €4,000 each year. All of this was achieved without the need for a protest or even a sternly worded petition.
Down the line, Astypalaia’s “mobility on demand” program has replaced the local’s favorite sport—complaining about bus delays—with an app and a fleet of zero-emission vehicles. Next up: autonomous cars. “The aim is, as a result of our collaboration with Volkswagen, for the first driverless routes to begin in the next one-and-a-half to two years,” said the governor, and you can almost hear the laughter echoing across the Aegean.
