Greek recycling‑house scandal widens as TEHAN halts operations

A scandal surrounding the recycling‑house programme of TEHAN, a Greek waste‑management firm, has expanded. The scheme, promoted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and then‑US Ambassador Jeffry Piat, involved the installation of costly small recycling centres across Greece. In early July TEHAN notified the Special Regional Association of Attica (EDSN‑A) that, effective 15 July, it would cease supporting the houses—ending waste collection, electricity supply and the remuneration previously paid to municipalities—leaving local authorities to cover the expenses.

The stoppage follows TEHAN’s failure to secure new waste‑collection contracts and coincides with an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office into the company’s activities. Similar controversies have arisen in Crete and the Peloponnese, where overly expensive recycling houses worth about €300,000 each were built through disputed tender processes. Municipalities have been instructed to assume maintenance duties and bear the costs, while TEHAN appears to shift its focus toward supermarket‑based recycling, abandoning the park and square installations.