Piles of rubble, bulky items, rubbish bags and garden cuttings have turned an area at Agia Kyriaki in Spata into an unofficial dump. Among the rubble, though, is something that is not merely unsightly: sheets of elenit, which is to say asbestos cement.
The complaint came from a resident of the area, who sent photographs. "They have turned Agia Kyriaki into a dump. If you look closely at the photographs, there are even asbestos roof tiles, which are extremely dangerous and carcinogenic. Which idiot dumped them there, just to avoid paying for a specialist removal crew?" he says.
Elenit is the most common form of asbestos in Greek homes. It was used for decades on roofs, sheds, lean-tos and pipework, until its use was banned across the European Union in 2005. As long as the sheet is intact and painted, the risk is limited. The danger begins when it is broken, abraded or left to decay: it then releases microscopic fibres which, when inhaled, are linked to serious respiratory disease and to cancer of the pleura. Broken sheets dumped in the open, exposed to sun, rain and wind, are exactly the worst case.
And here is the practical part that concerns every household in Spata and Artemida: asbestos is not bulky waste. The Municipality's refuse lorry will not take it, it does not go beside the bin, and it does not go to the tip on the back of a pick-up. It is classed as hazardous waste, and its collection and transport are carried out exclusively by a licensed hazardous waste management company, with special equipment, sealing in dedicated bags and accompanying paperwork. It costs money — and that is precisely what some people are trying to avoid by dumping it in fields.
If you come across elenit sheets that have been dumped, do not go near them, and above all do not try to pick them up or break them so they fit somewhere. Photograph them from a distance and notify the Municipality.
For what genuinely is bulky waste and is collected by the Municipality, the numbers given by the Municipality of Spata–Artemida itself are: for Artemida, bulky waste 22944 40850, branches 22944 40858 and mixed waste 22944 40860. For Spata, the Cleaning Service on 210 6632200.
The procedure the Municipality asks for is clear and is often ignored: you telephone first, you book a slot, and you put the bulky items or branches out on the street only on the day collection has been scheduled. Response time is two to three working days. Mattresses, sofas and small items of furniture are collected from in front of the house. When they are put out without an appointment they sit beside the bin for days and act as an invitation: one pile breeds the next, and that is how unofficial dumps like the one at Agia Kyriaki are made.
So far there has been no comment from the Municipality of Spata–Artemida on this particular spot. Residents are asking for immediate intervention, removal of the asbestos by a specialist crew, and tighter enforcement so that those doing the dumping are identified.
If you have photographs of places in the area that have become unofficial dumps, send them to us.
Source: resident's complaint with photographic material, via iRafina.gr, 16/09/2026
