On Monday 19 October, the Municipality of Spata–Artemida allocated 93,000 euros for the supply and installation of a metal waste chute, along with the accompanying equipment. Prior to the second budget revision in March, the same procurement was budgeted at €37,200. In other words, the amount rose two and a half times over the course of the year.
What is a hopper?
It is a large metal structure, a hopper, into which refuse collection lorries empty their loads so that the rubbish falls directly into a semi-trailer. The budget describes it as a ‘feed hopper for rear-loading semi-trailers’. With such a system, refuse collection lorries unload close to the area where they collect waste, and a large vehicle transports several loads together to the disposal site, rather than each lorry making the journey separately. Fewer journeys mean less fuel, fewer hours for crews and refuse collection lorries returning to neighbourhoods more quickly.
The decision does not specify where the hopper will be located, nor whether it is linked to any specific transhipment point. The request (82277/7 October 2026) was submitted by the Department of Waste Management and Recycling.
From 37,200 to 93,000 euros
In the second revision, which was approved by the Municipal Council on 31 March (Resolution 40/2026), the budget line for the waste collection centre received a further €55,800, rising from €37,200 to €93,000. In the same budget amendment, funding for other cleaning-related budget lines was also increased: maintenance of the mechanical parts of lorries by 20,000 euros (to 320,265), truck superstructures by €20,955.02 (to €197,191.53) and the collection of branches and rubble by €5,208 (to €377,208).
Monday’s allocation is now being made under the investment code ‘Other infrastructure’ of the Cleaning Department, which has a total of 113,000 euros. Of this amount, €19,220 had already been allocated; €93,000 is being allocated to the hopper, leaving €780. The decision is signed by the mayor, Dimitris Markou, and the Director of Financial Services, Anna Micha.
What’s next
Committing funds is the first step, not the purchase. With the amount well above the direct award threshold (€30,000 excluding VAT), the procurement requires a competitive tendering process, with a specification setting out the requirements and the installation site. If the tender process is not completed by the end of the year, the funding must be reallocated to the 2027 budget.
Once the tender notice is published, it will show where the funds are being channelled and exactly what the Council is purchasing with the 93,000 euros. We’ll be back with more on this. For details on how funds are being allocated across budget headings this year, see also the 7th budget revision, which is due to be discussed at the Municipal Council on Wednesday.
Source: Municipality of Spata–Artemida, commitment decision B/908, ref. no. 85131/19-10-2026 (ADA 6ZTHEO1X-7L3, Diafania 19/10/2026); Municipal Council Decision 40/2026 on the 2nd revision (ADA 6ZNYO1X-9THP).
