- Greece has the potential to become a global model in waste management and tourism sustainability, provided that the hotel industry fully adopts the circular economy and certified recycling.
This is underlined by Fotis Kokotos, environmental engineer and president of ReHORECA Sustainability System, in an interview with CretanBusiness.
ReHORECA is the first Alternative Management System (AMS) for biowaste for hospitality businesses in Greece, founded by nine leading Greek hotel groups. Today, 25 hotels in Crete are already participating in the program, which offers three main benefits:
Knowledge and economies of scale, through on-site audits, technical report and proposals for equipment and staff training.
Reduction of municipal fees by up to 67%, thanks to the implementation of the “pay as you throw” system, as already in force in the Municipality of Hersonissos.
Certification of best practices, with systematic recording of waste and the possibility of international promotion of hotels as sustainability models.
ReHORECA is in a continuous development phase, making contacts for expansion with the Municipalities of Rethymno, Ierapetra, Kos and Saronic Islands, as well as with the hotel associations of Rhodes and Athens.
The goal is to create a single national network for the management of bio-waste in tourism, which will operate before the mandatory implementation of the relevant law. “There is no garbage – everything is materials and raw materials.
“Greek tourism can lead the world in the transition to a zero waste model,” emphasizes, among other things, Fotis Kokotos, underlining that the circular economy will be the key to the sustainability and competitiveness of Greek hotels.
