municipal solid waste composition determination supporting the

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www.elsevier.com/locate/wasman

Waste Management xxx (2005) xxx–xxx

Country report

Municipal solid waste composition determination supportingthe integrated solid waste management system in the island of Crete

E. Gidarakos *, G. Havas, P. Ntzamilis

Laboratory of Toxic and Hazardous Waste Management, Department of Environmental Engineering,

Technical University of Crete, GR-73100 Polytechnioupolis Chania, Crete, Greece

Accepted 27 July 2005

Abstract

A one-year survey was conducted in the greater region of Crete (located at the lower region of the Aegean Sea) for the purpose ofidentifying waste composition (including chemical and physical characterization), as well as any seasonal variation.

The investigation was carried out repeatedly at seven landfills and one transfer station in Crete, in four phases. Each samplingphase corresponded to a season (autumn, winter, spring, summer). ASTM D5231-92(2003) standard method and RCRA WasteSampling Draft Technical Guidance were used. Hand sorting was used for classifying the collected wastes into the following cate-gories: plastics, paper, metals, aluminium, leather–wood–textiles–rubbers, organic wastes, non-combustibles and miscellaneous.Further analysis included proximate and ultimate analysis of combustible materials. Metals such as lead, cadmium and mercurywere also investigated.

The results show that there has been a significant decrease of organic wastes during the last decade due to the increase of pack-aging materials, as a result of a change in consumption patterns. Three main waste categories were determined: organic wastes,paper and plastics, which combined represent 76% of the total waste in Crete. Furthermore, a high fraction of glass and a seasonalvariation of aluminium indicate a strong correlation of waste composition with certain human activities, such as tourism. There isalso a variation between the municipal solid waste (MSW) composition in the region of Crete (2003–2004) and MSW compositionsuggested in the National Solid Waste Planning (2000) [National Solid Waste Planning, 2000. Completion and particularization ofCommon Ministerial Act 113944//1944/1997: National Solid Waste Planning, June 2000].

The results of this survey are to be utilized by the regional solid waste authorities in order to establish an integrated waste treat-ment site, capable of fulfilling the regional waste management demands.� 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

The cornerstone of successful planning for a wastemanagement program is the availability of reliable infor-mation about the quantity and the type of materialbeing generated and an understanding about how muchof that material that collection program managers canexpect to prevent or capture. Effective waste manage-

0956-053X/$ - see front matter � 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2005.07.018

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +30 2821 0 37789; fax: +30 2821 037850.

E-mail address: [email protected] (E. Gidarakos).

ment through MSW composition studies is importantfor numerous reasons, including the need to estimatematerial recovery potential, to identify sources of com-ponent generation, to facilitate design of processingequipment, to estimate physical, chemical, and thermalproperties of the waste and to maintain compliance withnational law and European directives. The compositionof generated waste is extremely variable as a conse-quence of seasonal, lifestyle, demographic, geographic,and legislation impacts. This variability makes defin-ing and measuring the composition of waste more diffi-cult and at the same time more essential.

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2 E. Gidarakos et al. / Waste Management xxx (2005) xxx–xxx

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In Greece several waste composition studies havebeen conducted in the past twenty years (Parisakiset al., 1990, 1991, 1992), but they were not carried outusing the same method or under a systematic approachdictated by organized regional waste management strat-egies (Table 1). One can observe a correlation betweendemographic and socio-economic conditions of a regionwith the respective MSW composition data. Further-more, MSW composition data of National Planningfor the year 2000 are different from respective data ofmore recent studies. In recent studies, for example inSalonica and Pylaia in 1998 (Papachristou et al., 2002;Koufodimos and Samaras, 2002), one can observe a sig-nificant decrease of putrescibles (food stuff, leaves, etc.)and a great increase of plastics and packaging material(see Table 1) (Papachristou and Chatziaggelou, 1991;Papachristou et al., 2002; PERPA, 1985).

The island of Crete (Fig. 1) is one of the greatest tour-ist resorts in Greece (Table 2) and numbers almost half amillion residents (2001). Furthermore, Crete is a combi-nation of urban, mountainous, rural and purely touristregions. Heraklion, geographically located in the centreof Crete (Fig. 2) with nearly 140,000 residents, is themetropolis of Crete. Chania and Rethymnon lie in thewest, and Agios Nikolaos in the east. Regions with highseasonal variability in population due to tourism areHer-sonisos and Malia, located east of Heraklion and west ofAgios Nikolaos. Ierapetra, located south of Agios Niko-laos, qualifies as rural mainly because of the numerousgreenhouses located there. Taking into account the abovespecial characteristics of the island of Crete, one wouldexpect that a special solid waste management strategy isimplemented. Unfortunately, in past years, solid wastemanagement in Crete has consisted mainly of illegaldumping. It was only in the last decade that the first re-gional solid waste management strategy was designedand started being implemented in the region of Chania.

According to Waste Framework Directive 75/442/EEC (EEC, 1975), member states are obliged to takethe necessary measures in order to ensure that the finaldisposal or exploitation of waste is performed withoutendangering public health and without causing anydamage to the environment. In its 1996 Communicationon the Review of the Community Strategy for WasteManagement1 the EU Commission enacted the wastemanagement hierarchy: prevention/minimization, reuse,recycling, energy recovery and safe disposal. It should bepointed out that this hierarchy is just a proposal and nota result of a detailed environmental and economic eval-uation of each alternative. Such an evaluation has to beperformed so that the regional solid waste authoritiesare able to choose the appropriate management scheme.Essential primary data used in this evaluation arerecentreliable waste composition data.

Tab

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Regio

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LWT

Alum

Meta

Plast

Glass

1 COM 96(399) final, 30.07.1996.

Table 2Main characteristics of the study area

Rethymnon Heraklion Lassithi

Populationa 81.976 292.489 57.290b

Hotel bedsc 24.857 52.616 19.846

a 2001 National Census, www.statistics.gr.b Sitia region excluded.c National Tourist Organization (NTO, 2002), www.statistics.gr.

E. Gidarakos et al. / Waste Management xxx (2005) xxx–xxx 3

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The primary goal of this study was to develop a rep-resentative, statistically defensible estimation of thewaste composition for the region of Rethymnon, Herak-lion and Lassithi (Agios Nikolaos). A survey was con-ducted by the Department of EnvironmentalEngineering of the Technical University of Crete, inthe region of Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lassithi, forthe purpose of identifying waste composition (includingchemical and physical characterization), as well as any

Fig. 1. Region

seasonal variation. The sampling plan consisted ofone-week sampling period in each of seven landfills inthe region of Crete and was carried out in four phases,corresponding to each season (winter, spring, and sum-mer, autumn) (see Table 2).

In comparing these data with composition data fromother regions, certain variations can be observed, whichcan be attributed to specific social activities, such astourism. This study can hopefully be used to establisha baseline for monitoring progress in achieving wastemanagement objectives and to assist the regional solidwaste authorities in setting future policy directions andmanagement priorities.

As it was mentioned above, the geographical areasstudied in this analysis are the Prefectures of: Rethym-non, Heraklion and Lassithi in the island of Crete(Fig. 2). Regions of Chania and Sitia were excludedfrom this study.

of Crete.

http://www.epa.gov/osw

http://www.mfe.govt.nz

Fig. 2. Island of Crete study area (sampling sites are marked with an ‘‘X’’).

Table 3MSW production estimation for the Prefectures of Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lassithi (2001 national census, 2001–2002 National TouristOrganization data)

County Population MSWproduction(kg/d)

MSWproduction(ton/y)

MSW productionfrom tourists(kg/d)

MSW productionfrom tourists(ton/y)

Total MSWproduction(kg/d)

Total MSWproduction(ton/y)

Rethymnon 81.976 71.378 26.053 24.113 5.064 105.040 34.228Heraklion 292.489 289.522 105.676 52.936 11.117 376.704 128.471Lassithi 57.290 66.301 24.200 16.670 3.501 75.499 30.471

Total 431.755 427.201 155.928 93.719 19.681 557.243 193.170


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2. Materials and methods

2.1. Waste quantities estimation

The lack of essential equipment (weigh-bridges) ateach final disposal site makes the direct determinationof disposed waste quantities impossible. Therefore, thereis no information on generation rates as a function ofseason. The estimation of generated quantities ofMSW (kg/resident/day) is based on previous studies(Technical Chamber of Greece, 1993; OANAK, 2000),on official National Census data (2001), as well as onNational Tourism Organization (NTO) data for theyears 2001/2002. As mentioned above the regions of Si-tia and Chania were not studied.

In this survey the generated MSW quantities in eachmunicipality of the study area were estimated accordingto the following assumptions:

� For communities with population less than 10,000residents: 0.8 kg MSW per resident per day.

� For communities with population more than 10,000residents: 1 kg MSW per resident per day.

� For the Municipalities of Rethymnon, Agios Niko-laos and Ierapetra: 1 kg MSW per resident per day.

� For Heraklion: 1.2 kg MSW per resident per day.

The assumption made for the largest municipalities isbased mainly on the Regional Planning of Solid WasteManagement for the Prefectures of Rethymnon, Lassithiand Heraklion.

Apart from these quantities, the daily quantities ofMSW due to tourism will be taken into account. Forthe estimation of the number of tourists, official dataof NTO are used. The aim of this study was not toverify the reliability of NTO data and therefore thesedata were accepted as the only available officialinformation.

The estimation of these quantities was carried outusing the following data:

� The total number of tourist beds in each municipalityor community.

� The number of tourist beds in use (fullness).� The mean produced quantity of MSW per tourist perday (=1.2 kg/tourist/day).

It must be noted that the considered mean producedquantity of MSW per tourist per day is overestimated inan effort to take into account unregistered rooms to let(not included in the official NTO data, being used bytourists, visitors, etc.)


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2.2. Waste composition analysis

Sampling was carried out at several final disposalsites (landfills) around Crete, according to internationalstandard ASTM D 5231-92(2003),2 and RCRAregulation.3

The determination of the mean composition of MSWwas based on the collection and manual sorting of anumber of samples of waste over a selected time periodcovering one week for each season and site. Therefore,four phases of seven sampling weeks (twenty eight weeksin total) were carried out.

Vehicle loads of waste were designated for sampling,and a sorting sample was collected from the dischargedvehicle load. The sample was sorted manually into wastecomponents. The weight fraction of each component inthe sorting sample was calculated by the weights of thecomponents. The mean waste composition was calcu-lated using the results of the composition of each ofthe sorting samples.

Vehicles for sampling were selected at random dur-ing each day of the one-week sampling period, as tobe representative of the waste stream. AccordingASTM D5231-92, for a weekly sampling period of kdays, the number of vehicles sampled each day shouldbe approximately n/k, where n is the total number ofvehicle loads to be selected for the determination ofwaste composition. A weekly period is defined as 5days.

According ASTM D5231-92, the number of sortingsamples (that is, vehicle loads (n) required to achieve adesired level of measurement precision) is a function ofthe component(s) under consideration and the confi-dence level. The governing equation for n is as follows:

n ¼ ðt�s=exÞ2; ð1Þwhere t* is the student t statistic corresponding to thedesired level of confidence, s the estimated standarddeviation, e the desired level of precision, and x is theestimated mean.

Suggested values of s and x for waste components arelisted in Table 6. Values of t* are given in statistical ta-bles. Table 6 is the result of one-week sampling at PeraGalinoi landfill (Fig. 2), performed by the investigators,prior to the main sampling period.

Each sorting sample weighed 91–136 kg and was pre-pared properly (mixed, coned and quartered) from eachdischarged MSW vehicle load using a front-end loaderwith at least a 1 m3 bucket.

After sampling, hand sorting was applied for the clas-sification of MSW into the following categories:

2 Standard test method for determination of the composition ofunprocessed municipal solid waste.3 Waste Sampling Draft Technical Guidance, EPA, 530-d-02-002.

� Organics:– Paper (all kinds, magazines, newspapers, books,

packaging materials, cardboard).– Putrescibles (food waste, yard waste, leaves).– Plastics (PVC, PET, HDPE, LDPE, others).– LWTR (leather, wood, textiles, rubber).

� Inorganic:– Glass (all kinds and colours).– Metals (all kinds except aluminium).– Aluminium (all kinds).– Inert materials (stones, ground, construction and

demolition wastes).

� Miscellaneous (nappies, sanitary napkins, materialsthat do not fit in any of the above categories).

Prior to the sampling, landfill sites were rankedaccording the following specifications:

1. Percentage coverage of urban-tourist and mountain-ous-rural regions.

2. Total sample size >75% of total MSW production inthe study area.

3. Sampling in regions where a great production of recy-cling materials (e.g., Hersonisos) is expected.

4. Availability of each landfill during the samplingperiod.

According to these requirements, the following sam-pling sites were selected:

� Rethymnon Prefecture:– Amari S.A. sanitary landfill.– Maroulas sanitary landfill.

� Heraklion Prefecture:– Pera Galinoi landfill (Autumn) and Heraklion

Transfer Station (Winter).– Kazantzakis sanitary landfill.– Hersonisos sanitary landfill.

� Lassithi Prefecture:– Ierapetra landfill.– Agios Nikolaos sanitary landfill.

The above sampling sites appear in Fig. 2 and aremarked with an ‘‘X’’.

The laboratory analyses of MSW included:

� Proximate analysis: The determination of % moisture
content, % ash content, % volatile matter content andthe calculation of % fixed carbon. The above analyseswere conducted according to ASTM standards E790,E830 and E897.


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� Elemental analysis: The determination of % contentin carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N). Theanalyses were conducted according to ASTM stan-dards E777 and E778.

� Calorific value determination: According to ASTMstandard E955 or with other international standard.

� Heavy metal content determination.

The laboratory sample consisted of four sub-samples:putrescibles (food waste), LWTR, plastics (packagingmaterials, bottles, etc.) and papers (paper, cardboard ex-cept sanitary papers). The quantity of each fraction was200–500 g according to New Zealand Ministry for theEnvironment guidelines (Ministry for the Environment,2002). For the temporary storage and transport of eachsample to the laboratory, water-proof sealed bags wereused (USEPA, 2001, 2002). The time interval between col-lection and analysis was 1–4 h. For the preparation of lab-oratory samples, necessary safety equipment (gloves,masks, goggles) was used, while size reduction of materi-als was achieved using knives and scissors (hand work) sothat the moisture content of waste was not affected.

For the size reduction a cutting mill (type P-19 withcyclone separator, Fritsch GmbH, Germany) was used.Moisture content determination became feasible after24 h of solid waste sample drying (105 �C) in an oven(type Jouan EU2 118, Innovens). For volatile matter(at 950 �C) and ash (at 550 �C) content determination,a furnace capable of high (�1200 �C) temperatures (typeL24/12 with control panel B170, Nabertherm) was used.Elemental analysis was performed using an automaticelemental analyser (type CHN 600, LECO). The calo-rific value of solid waste samples was determined byusing a bomb calorimeter (type AC 300, LECO). Theheavy metal content of samples was determined by flameatomic-absorption spectroscopy (AAS) (C.A.U. GmbH,Germany).

Table 4Laboratory analysis of MSW (mean valuesa)

Putrescibles LWTRb

% Moisture 66.99 21.41% Ash 9.72 8.86% Volatile matter 76.69 83.87% Fixed carbon 13.60 7.27C (%) 45.56 44.99H (%) 6.24 6.01N (%) 2.29 0.55HHV (kJ/kg) 6.150 14.129LHV (kJ/kg) 4.563 12.771Pb (ppm) na naCd (ppm) na naHg (ppm) na na

na, not available.a Dry weights.b Leather, wood, textile, rubber.c Refuse derived fuel, consists of paper, plastics and LWTR fractions.

3. Results

3.1. Estimated waste quantity

The estimation of MSW production and disposal inthe study area is shown in Table 3. Assuming thatmonthly MSW production from permanent residentsis constant, we can assess how tourism affects themonthly MSW production. During ‘‘high season’’months (months with increased number of tourists), in-creased MSW quantities are produced (tourism effect,Fig. 3).

3.2. Waste composition

The results of the waste composition analysis for theperiod 2003–2004 are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 6 isused to compare current analysis results (mean values)with respective results in other regions of Greece.

Three main waste categories can be identified:Putrescibles Papers and Plastics (P3 Dominance), whichshare about 76% of total MSW. Putrescibles represent39%, while plastics and paper are second with 17% and20%, respectively. The share of glass (7%) is also con-siderable, mainly consisting of disposable (not refill-able) bottles. Especially in tourist regions such asHersonisos and Malia, the glass share reached 18% inautumn.

Inert materials are particularly low (2%), as construc-tion and demolition wastes (C&D wastes) are trans-ported to separate disposal sites.

A great seasonal variation in the glass fraction (au-tumn and summer >6.5%, winter �4%), mainly in re-gions of intense tourist activity (e.g., Hersonisos withpeak value �18%) was identified. It was also found thatthere is an extended use of non-refillable, non-returnablebottles (e.g., bottles of low alcohol drinks).

Plastics Papers Total RDFc

2.93 17.11 36.72 11.652.39 7.07 7.30 5.3194.95 84.09 83.19 88.632.67 8.84 9.52 6.0779.53 44.49 53.00 59.2010.64 6.58 7.32 8.220.46 0.57 1.32 0.5238.631 14.106 16.139 24.41436.228 12.622 14.408 22.558na na 16.7 nana na 0.07 nana na 0.02 na

Fig. 3. Monthly variation of MSW production (tourism effect), wet weight.

Fig. 4. Waste composition analysis (annual), wet weight.


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There is also a great seasonal variation for the alu-minium fraction (autumn and summer �2%, winter<1%). Its absolute value is similar to the one in other re-gions in Greece (Fig. 7).

Comparing the winter and summer periods, there is asignificant decrease in the concentration of papers(�23%), while metals (�3.5%) bulky materials and oldcars (end-of-life vehicles) concentrations are not present.

Furthermore, in Ierapetra, where there is an extensiveuse of greenhouses, there is a great seasonal variation of

plastics share in MSW. This variation was named ‘‘greeneffect’’ (Fig. 8).

The ‘‘miscellaneous’’ fraction in MSW is the resultof the co-mixture of organics (putrescibles) with otherfractions.

Furthermore, a comparison of the MSW composi-tion in the region of Crete (2003–2004) and theMSW composition suggested in the National SolidWaste Planning (2000) demonstrates a greatvariation.

Fig. 5. Waste composition analysis (seasonal variation), wet weight.

Fig. 6. Waste composition analysis (spatial, annual variation), wet weight.


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As far as the proximate analysis is concerned, aresemblance (HHV, LHV, % moisture content) anda lower value of C/N ratio (20.4) in compari-son to other regions in Greece (Chania, Kos)was found.

The heavy metals content did not present anyremarkable difference compared to the one availablefor Chania or Kos (Tables 4 and 5).

Specific gravity of waste was determined to be 130–135 kg/m3, showing no considerable variance.

Fig. 7. Waste composition in Crete and in other regions wet weight.

AutumnSummerSpringWinter0,00

5,00

10,00

15,00

20,00

25,00

30,00

%w

/w, w

et w

eig

ht

Plastics

Fig. 8. Seasonal variation of plastics concentration in MSW due to greenhouses (green effect) at Ierapetra landfill, wet weight.


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4. Discussion

According to the ASTM D5231-92(2003) standardmethod, a full year of sampling at several final disposal

sites around Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lassithi wasconducted (see Table 6).

This test method is applied for the determination ofthe mean composition of MSW based on the collection

Table 5Physicochemical analysis of MSW in the region of Crete and in other regions

Region of Cretea Municipality of Chania Municipality of Kos Municipality of Pylaia

% Moisture content 36.7b 40.8 30.1 40.6% Ash content 7.21 3.7 3.9 6.2HHV (kJ/kg)

Putrescibles 6.629 7.063 7.410 4.892Paper 14.106 – – 12.037Plastics 38.155 – – 32.617LWTR 13.733 – – 15.617

LHV (kJ/kg)Putrescibles 5.237 5.524 – 1.486Paper 12.621 – – 10.123Plastics 35.702 – – 29.003LWTR 13.069 – – 13.810

C/N 20.4 29.3 – 25.36Lead (Pb) (ppm) 16.8 21.4B(d) 16.8C(d) 7.6Cadmium (Cd) (ppm) 0.07 0.6B(d) 1.5C(d) 0.4Mercury (Hg) (ppm) 0.02 – – –

d, dry fraction; B, analysis aiming to biological stabilization; C, analysis aiming to combustion.a Prefectures of Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lassithi, 2003–2004.b Calculation based on mean values of moisture content in each laboratory analysis sub-sample and the % share of each fraction in MSW as

determined by field analysis.

Table 6Values of mean (x) and standard deviation (s) for within-weeksampling to determine MSW component composition (Pera Galinoilandfill, Heraklion, Crete, 2003)

Component Standard deviation (s) Mean value (x)

Inert 0.46 1.93Metals 1.79 4.44Aluminium 0.66 3.01Glass 0.52 4.58LWTR 1.22 3.60Paper 6.74 19.71Putrescibles 1.96 35.45Plastics 5.61 22.49Misc. 1.33 4.79


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and manual sorting of a number of samples of wasteover a selected time of period covering a minimum ofone week. This test method includes procedures forthe collection of a representative sorting sample ofunprocessed waste, manual sorting of the waste intoindividual waste components, data reduction, andreporting of the results.

This test method may be applied at landfill sites,waste processing and conversion facilities, and transferstations. Its level of confidence and precision valuesare, respectively, 90% and 0.1%.

Current studies results are related to each region sam-pled. A higher share of putrescibles was found in ruralregions, whereas a higher share in papers and plasticswas determined in urban regions.

Some useful remarks can be noted by observing studyresults:

� There is a clearchange in waste composition duringthe last decade.

� There is a strong relationship between certain socialactivities (e.g., tourism) and MSW composition.

� There is a variation in the MSW composition amongdifferent regions of the country.

� There is a variation between National Solid WastePlanning and the current situation in Greece regard-ing the MSW composition.

Specifically, while in the previous decade (1985–1995,Table 1) the putrescibles share was about 55–67%, in re-cent years (1995–2003, Table 1, Fig. 7) this share has de-creased to 27–41%, while National Solid Waste Planning(2000, Table 1) suggests a concentration of 47%.

Comparing the two decades, a 40% decrease ofputrescibles share can be observed. This reduction canbe explained by an increase of plastic and paper concen-trations. In the previous decade (1985–1995) papers ac-counted for no more than 20% and plastics for less than10%. In contrast, recent studies (1995-current) suggestthat papers now comprise 25% and plastics percentagedoubled reaching 20%. This represents an increase of25% for paper and 100% for plastics, or 60% in total.In the most recent studies (Salonica 1998, Pylaia 1998and Cretan Region 2003–2004), there is also an increasein packaging materials. This change is not only a resultof the prevailing consumption patterns, but also an out-come of modern practices for marketing of products andgoods.

The main point of this study is P3 Dominance(Putrescibles, Papers and Plastics) which share in totalabout 76% of MSW. Papers and plastics comprise to-gether about 37% or 71,000 tonnes per year of MSW.This relatively high share of plastics and papers in Cretecan be attributed to the extensive use of paper packaging


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materials (especially in summer) and mass production ofgreenhouses wastes (plastic films).

The concentration of plastics is higher in winter andautumn (Fig. 8), likely as a result of the extensive useof plastics in greenhouses construction. Greenhousesare the major waste producers in Crete (as far as plasticsare concerned) and that is why the Municipality of Iera-petra (where most greenhouses are constructed) pro-duces by itself more than 30% of the total MSW inLassithi Prefecture (Fig. 6).

The concentration of papers in the Municipality ofAgios Nikolaos is also high, as a result of high levelsof tourist activities (hotel accommodation, paper pack-aging materials like tetrapak, etc.).

In regions of intense tourist activity (Prefectures ofRethymnon, Heraklion and Lassithi), this study also re-vealed an increased share of glass. Specifically, glassreached 7%, while in mainly tourist regions, such as Her-sonisos and Malia, it was 18%. In comparison, a recentstudy of Salonica (1998) showed glass share to be about3%. This difference may be explained by the fact that theratio between the number of tourists and the permanentpopulation is considerably lower in Salonica than in Her-sonisos. Furthermore, glass bottles (e.g., juices, beer) thatare consumed in non-tourist regions are mainly refillable,while inHersonisos significant quantities of non-refillablebottles (mainly low-alcohol drinks) are consumed.

Moreover, it is obvious that modern living standardsconsiderably affects MSW composition. For example,in the rural region of Rodopi (Komotini, 1993, Fig. 1)the putrescibles share is 67% while in the metropolis ofnorth Greece, Salonica (1998), it is only 27%. The putres-cibles concentration in the region of Crete (2003–2004) is39% (annual mean value). The same effect of the livingstandards on MSW composition is also observed amongthe various municipalities of Crete. For example, in theregion of Nikos Kazantzakis municipality, a regionmainly rural, the putrescibles fraction is almost 45%.

Comparing the region of Chania (Chania, 1990) withthe results of this study, an important difference inMSW composition can be noticed. Specifically in 1990the putrescibles concentration in Chania region reached55%, while the corresponding concentration for the re-gions of Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lassithi is nowabout 39%. Taking into account the fact that betweenthe four regions of Crete there are not any importantdifferences regarding the total socio-economic character-istics, one can claim that in Crete, in the last decade, theputrescibles content has decreased considerably. This isin accordance with the total change of MSW composi-tion for the whole country that was reported previously.

Furthermore, the highest putrescibles share (41.3%) isobserved at Lassithi Prefecture, likely because of thegreenhouses operation (not sold putrescibles quantities).

Also, the information published by the National So-lid Waste Planning (2000) presents an important differ-

ence from the results of newer studies (Salonica 1998,Pylaia 1998 and Region of Crete 2003–2004). Therefore,the MSW composition that is suggested in the NationalSolid Waste Planning is not suitable for direct applica-tion in Crete, as it does not consider the local peculiar-ities and social characteristics of the area or the seasonalvariations (tourist period).

In order to compare MSW laboratory analysis datawith respective data from other regions of Greece, theMunicipalities of Chania, Kos and Pylaia (Fig. 1) areused. The first two municipalities perform in similarway with the region studied, regarding the activities ofMSW production, as they are mainly tourist attractiveregions. The comparison with the Municipality of Pylaiais useful to test whether different activities and consump-tion patterns and habits are the cause of differences inMSW composition.

No differences can be identified between the region ofCrete (2003–2004) and the region of Chania (1990) (andpartly the region of Kos) regarding the MSW calorificvalue (HHV and LHV) and the moisture content. TheC/N ratio in the region of Crete (2003–2004) has a lowervalue compared to other regions. The heavy metals con-tent (Pb, Cd and Hg) does not present any remarkablevariations between the different studied regions.

5. Conclusion

This study was carried out in order to establish up-to-date waste composition data for local solid wasteauthorities.

This analysis revealed that in the study area (Rethym-non, Heraklion and Lassithi), there is a strong correla-tion between certain social activities and solid wastecomposition and quantity. The main activities reviewedin this study are tourism and cultivation. During ‘‘highseason’’ months (months with increased number of tour-ists), not only are increased MSW quantities produced,but also MSW composition is accordingly altered. Highfractions of materials like aluminium cans and glass bot-tles (especially non-refillable ones) and paper and/orplastics packaging materials are representative charac-teristics of intense tourist activities and greenhousesoperation in the area. This double impact phenomenon(quantity and quality) was named ‘‘tourism effect’’ and‘‘green effect’’ (Figs. 3 and 8). This relationship is apeculiarity of tourist regions and as a result, solid wasteauthorities have to consider it in Integrated Solid WasteManagement Planning.

Of course, tourism and greenhouses are not just aGreek problem, but they are an international one, too.There are still a lot of illegal dumping sites in Greeceand Europe, and therefore this methodology and the re-sults of this study are a valuable tool to every solid wastemanager.


ARTICLE IN PRESS

Comparing the MSW composition data from thepresent study with other regions� data, various MSWcomposition changes can be identified. Putrescibles con-centration decreased and papers–plastics concentrationincreased during the last decade. Moreover, composi-tion data shows a difference between various regions inGreece (rural and urban).

In addition, there is a disparity between MSW com-position in the region of Crete (2003–2004) and MSWcomposition suggested in the National Solid WastePlanning (2000). This is observed not only in the putres-cibles and plastics fractions, but also in materials thatseem to have an important seasonal variation in the re-gion of Crete (e.g., glass). Hence, MSW compositiondata of National Solid Waste Planning cannot be ap-plied in the region of Crete or in other regions with sim-ilar characteristics to Crete.

This study is the first integrated study in Greece, con-ducted in such a great number of final disposal sites.Moreover, it was conducted at various types of final dis-posal sites (sanitary or not) and transfer stations, so thatthis study can be utilized in other areas nationally orinternationally.

In order to accommodate this study, weigh-bridgeshave to be installed and used at every final disposal site,so that there is a continuous data logging of waste quan-tities produced. The present study is the first step to-wards an Integrated Solid Waste Database for theregion of Crete.

Acknowledgement

The financial support of the United Association ofWaste Management of Crete (E.S.D.A.K.) is greatlyacknowledged.

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