The Greek policymakers chose the tiny island of Tilos to test a new way to produce electricity. Despite its limited population of 500 year-round residents, providing essential services and electricity to its people remains a challenge. Recently, the island announced that 80 percent of its waste is now recycled, and its landfill was permanently closed. Starting this year, Tilos will produce most of its electricity, thanks to its trailer-sized batteries to store energy.
Tilos recycles more than 80% of its trash.
An island in the Aegean Sea in Greece boasts the highest recycling rate in the world, and it is working to become an utterly green town by 2021. A new recycling program backed by a private company aims to make the island the first green island in the world. The island has already recycled 86 percent of its household waste. Energy and environment minister Kostas χχχ Skrekas attended an event on the island to present the new program called “Just Go Zero.”
Tourism on the Greek islands is to bounce back this summer, but many of these small, undeveloped islands are already facing acute strains on their resources. Some are prone to rolling blackouts during the peak summer season and have overflowing landfills. The tiny island of Tilos is one example, with fewer than 500 year-round residents but a recycling rate of over 80%. Moreover, the island, a mere 15-hour ferry ride from mainland Greece, is a pioneering example of green tech.
It has closed its landfill
The pioneering recycling plant on the tiny Greek island has shut down a landfill on a small island of 500 permanent residents. Just 15 hours by ferry from the mainland, the island recycles 80% of its trash. In addition to recycling its garbage, it has adopted other sustainable energy measures, such as storing energy generated from a wind turbine. Because the island’s population is so tiny, resources are scarce.
It has piloted a home trash pickup scheme
Since 2019, the island has generated most of its electricity through a solar park, wind turbine, and trailer-sized batteries. The island is slightly larger than Manhattan and lies in the southeast Aegean Sea. It is self-sufficient and takes pride in its commitment to sustainability.
Providing electricity, essential services, and ferry access to the island’s 500 residents are among the challenges faced by the ti
ny, undeveloped island. Adding to the challenge is the burden of tourism on small islands. Tilos’ latest mission is to deal with plastic. It is the only Greek island without plastic beaches. The island’s recycling plant uses an app to track waste. The company does not release financial information about its project.
It has a battery plant that processes 2 tons of waste per week
The recycling plant on the island of Tilos, which has 500 year-round residents, processes approximately two tons of garbage per week, with only about 15 percent of that waste being non-recyclable. The plant uses a proprietary app to track the amount of waste and recycle it. The company has not disclosed its financial details. Besides its recycling efforts, the island has also begun producing most of its electricity. It uses a wind turbine, a solar park, and trailer-sized batteries to generate power.
