Summary
Details
- Greece
Law 4819/2021 is legally binding for municipalities, waste-management operators, producers under EPR schemes and commercial/industrial waste generators.
Core duties include:
Implementing separate collection of key waste fractions (bio-waste, paper, plastics, metals, glass, textiles and others).
Ensuring that waste is managed by authorised operators, in line with waste hierarchy and recycling targets.
For producers: participating in EPR schemes, paying eco-modulated fees and providing data on products and packaging placed on the market.
Complying with restrictions on single-use plastics and other products covered by the law.
Exceptions:
Small producers or low-volume operators may have simplified reporting or reduced EPR contributions, depending on scheme-specific thresholds.
Certain specialised waste streams are regulated by separate laws or joint ministerial decisions (for example, specific landfill, hazardous waste or sector-specific rules) that can partially override the general framework.
Some obligations are phased in, allowing municipalities and producers time to adjust their systems.
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What’s Required
Law 4819/2021 establishes Greece’s integrated framework for waste management, circular economy measures and plastic product regulation. It transposes EU Directives 2018/851 (Waste Framework) and 2018/852 (Packaging and Packaging Waste).
It introduces:
A national waste hierarchy and circular-economy approach.
Expanded separate collection obligations for municipal waste, including bio-waste, textiles and other fractions.
Stronger extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and other streams, including eco-modulated fees that reward recyclability and recycled content.
Measures to reduce landfilling and promote preparation for reuse and recycling, including targets to cut municipal waste sent to landfill to around 10% by 2030.
Provisions on single-use plastics and environmental protection.
Law effective from July 2021.
Landfill share of municipal waste to be reduced to about 10% by 2030, five years earlier than the general EU deadline.
Gradual introduction of landfill bans and separate collection obligations, including a ban on landfilling textiles from 2024 and additional obligations for other streams in the mid-2020s.
Current Status
Law 4819/2021 is now the main waste and packaging law in Greece, and is central to national circular-economy policy.
Greece is rolling out new separate-collection schemes and EPR expansions (including for textiles and other products).
Authorities and EPR organisations are adjusting fee structures to introduce eco-modulation based on recyclability, recycled content and hazardous substances.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Administrative fines for improper waste management, failure to implement separate collection, or violation of landfill bans.
Sanctions for producers that avoid or under-fund EPR obligations, misreport data or place non-compliant packaging or plastic products on the market.
In serious cases (e.g. illegal dumping or hazardous-waste mismanagement), penalties may include suspension of operations or criminal proceedings under broader environmental law.
Examples of Known Violations
Public sources focus mainly on structural non-compliance (very high landfill rates, insufficient separate collection) rather than named companies.
Enforcement is increasing, with inspections targeting non-compliant landfills, inadequate municipal waste practices and underperforming producers within EPR schemes.
Resources
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