Greek procurement scandal over €300,000 recycling “houses”

The Greek government awarded contracts for more than 200 so‑called “recycling houses” at a cost of about €300,000 each, far above the €66,000 price of comparable equipment on the open market. The overpricing was highlighted by Nicola de Michelis, head of DG Regio at the European Commission, who warned that the Greek prices were many times higher than elsewhere in the EU.

Since 2020 the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the procurement process, seizing documents and computers from the contractor Antapodotiki Anakyklosi. Fines totalling roughly €40 million have been imposed, and officials from ministries, regional authorities and municipalities are being asked to explain how public funds were allocated to the project, which was intended for waste‑packaging recycling but was financed from unrelated environmental fees.