Papadopoulou Waste Allegedly Dumped Into Athens’ Kifissos River

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A tanker carrying liquid waste from major Greek food manufacturer Papadopoulou was intercepted while allegedly dumping its load into a storm drain connected to the Kifissos River in Athens, according to environmental inspectors and police.

The tanker, operated by haulage company Karatzas, was reportedly carrying around 16 cubic metres of liquid waste collected from the Papadopoulou facility on Petrou Ralli Avenue in Tavros.

Authorities stopped the vehicle last week during an operation by the Attica Police waste dumping prevention unit in the Egaleo area.

According to findings cited by the investigation, the storm drain where the tanker was stopped did not lead to an ordinary sewer. Instead, it discharged directly into the Kifissos River.

The investigation began after an anonymous tip prompted environmental inspectors to monitor vehicles transporting industrial and domestic waste.

Waste reportedly exceeded permitted limits

Initial laboratory tests reportedly found extremely high levels of organic pollution in the waste.

The reported chemical oxygen demand reached 25,000 milligrams per litre, compared with a limit of 1,000 milligrams. Suspended solids were reportedly measured at 4,500 milligrams per litre against a 500 milligram limit, while phosphates reached 25 milligrams compared with a reported limit of 10 milligrams.

The sample reportedly had a pH of 4.8, below the 6 to 9 range accepted by the Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company, EYDAP.

The figures remain subject to confirmation through final laboratory analysis.

The waste is believed to contain residues from food production, including sugars, flour and sourdough. Such a high organic load can consume dissolved oxygen in waterways, placing additional pressure on aquatic life.

Papadopoulou says tanker belonged to contractor

Papadopoulou has said the tanker did not belong to the company but to a contracted transport company responsible for collecting wastewater from its Tavros facility and transporting it to the Metamorfosi wastewater treatment centre operated by EYDAP.

The company has maintained that responsibility for complying with environmental and regulatory requirements rested with its transport partner.

Investigators are now examining whether the waste was properly documented and where previous tanker loads were ultimately taken.

Authorities are also cross checking the haulage company’s tanker records at Metamorfosi against collections from the Papadopoulou facility.

Questions over waste tracking

The investigation has also raised questions about how industrial waste is tracked after leaving factories.

According to information cited in the case, EYDAP records a tanker’s arrival at the Metamorfosi facility but does not necessarily maintain a complete digital record linking every individual load to its producer, quantity, analysis, loading time and final destination.

That means a tanker entering the treatment plant does not, by itself, establish exactly what waste it was carrying or where the load originated.

Authorities are examining whether industrial waste may have been recorded as domestic sewage in some cases.

The investigation is also looking at tanker routes, collection records, invoices, payments and deliveries to the Metamorfosi facility.

A system designed to track every tanker

Officials have previously developed plans for a digital tracking system that would assign every waste load a unique identification number.

The proposed system would combine GPS tracking, electronic registration and records covering the waste’s origin, quantity, type and licensed destination.

It would also allow authorities to identify deviations from planned routes and investigate suspicious stops.

According to information cited in the investigation, the system was tested as a pilot project with EYDAP but was never fully implemented.

The current investigation will determine whether the intercepted tanker represents an isolated incident or whether authorities uncover evidence of a wider pattern involving the transportation and disposal of industrial wastewater.

The case remains under investigation and the reported laboratory results are awaiting final confirmation.

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