Recycling on Zakynthos: Progress, Problems, and What’s Next

​Every summer, Zakynthos welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors — and with them comes a mountain of waste. From plastic bottles on the beaches to packaging from hotels and restaurants, managing rubbish on an island this busy has always been a challenge. However, is Zakynthos finally improving its recycling system? Here’s what’s happening behind the bins.

What Exists: Sorting, Collection & New FacilitiesThe Municipality of Zakynthos has in recent years taken important steps toward a more modern waste system. A major EU-funded project titled “Actions for Sorting at the Source and Recycling of Urban Solid Waste” introduced the island’s first Central Green Point and several smaller “Green Islets” in tourist zones. These allow residents and businesses to drop off recyclables and biowaste separately from general trash.

Recycling collection operates through the familiar blue bins for plastics, metals, and drink cartons, and separate bins for glass and paper. The materials are sent to a Recyclable Materials Sorting Center (RSC), where they are mechanically and manually separated.
Until recently, most recyclable material collected on Zakynthos had to be shipped off-island — mainly to Agrinio — for sorting. However, from late 2024 a mobile sorting plant began operating locally, meaning the island can now process a significant portion of its recyclables without sending them to the mainland.


How the System Works Financially.
According to the Ionian Islands Regional Waste Management Authority, the average management cost for sorted waste on Zakynthos is around €62 per tonne. When legacy obligations and landfill costs are added, the full financial burden rises to roughly €80 per tonne. The municipality has also signed a two-year, €9.6-million contract with a private company (2025–2027) to handle waste collection and transport due to ongoing staff shortages.


What’s Not Working Yet.
Despite these advances, Zakynthos still faces serious waste-management challenges. Reports from both local media and environmental organisations point to frequent disruptions in collection services, especially during peak tourist months, largely due to insufficient personnel and vehicles.
Although recyclables are being collected, a significant proportion reportedly ends up in landfill because of contamination or sorting inefficiencies. Across many Greek islands, as much as half of the materials collected in blue bins are ultimately discarded rather than recycled.
The island’s landfill history has also been problematic. The old landfill site near the Zakynthos Marine National Park — once within a protected area — was deemed illegal by the EU Court of Justice, and Greece has faced repeated fines for delays in closing and rehabilitating the site. A newer sanitary landfill now operates under stricter environmental controls, but capacity and oversight remain concerns.

How Zakynthos Ranks Nationally.
In a 2025 survey ranking the environmental performance of Greek municipalities, Zakynthos placed 182nd out of 184 for recycling indicators — one of the lowest scores in the country. While this reflects the island’s long struggle with waste management, local officials have pledged that the new Green Point network and on-island sorting plant will help turn things around.


A Look Toward the Future.
The municipality’s new Waste Management Plan (2024) outlines a gradual transition to “circular economy” principles — focusing on sorting at the source, composting biowaste, and reducing landfill dependence. The plan’s success will depend on community participation and continued investment in infrastructure.
As part of this shift, Zakynthos is expected to expand public education on recycling, introduce better separation for hotel and hospitality waste, and coordinate more closely with regional authorities for transport and data tracking. There is also discussion of future collaboration with the Blue Municipalities network to integrate marine litter management.
In Conclusion.
Zakynthos does have a recycling system — complete with blue bins, separate paper and glass collection, and even a local sorting plant — but the island is still far from achieving circular waste management. Recyclables are often mixed with general waste, sorting capacity is limited, and seasonal pressures make consistent operations difficult. Nonetheless, with new infrastructure now in place and greater EU oversight, there is real potential for improvement.
For an island whose beauty and economy depend on its natural environment, expanding recycling and reducing waste isn’t just an obligation — it’s essential for Zakynthos’s sustainable future.