Former landfill site near Kalyves could become a football pitch

Summary

The municipality of Apokoronas has submitted a formal request to environmental authorities to determine whether a former uncontrolled landfill site near Kalyves — fully remediated about 15 years ago through an EU-funded programme — can legally be converted into a football pitch. The request asks authorities to confirm the permitted use, specify technical and environmental conditions, and confirm there are no risks to public health or the environment. The municipality says it will only proceed if it receives full scientific backing and regulatory approval.

Could Kalyves' old landfill become a football pitch?

A patch of land on the edge of Kalyves that once served as an uncontrolled rubbish dump could be given a new life as a football pitch and youth sports space — but only if environmental authorities give their approval.

The site was fully cleaned up around 15 years ago using European Union funding, closing what the municipality describes as a difficult chapter in the area's environmental history. Since then it has sat unused. Residents have now raised a formal request to see it transformed into a place for sport, recreation and community gatherings for young people in the area.

What needs to happen before anything is built

The municipality has sent an official request to the relevant environmental authorities asking three key questions:

whether a football pitch is a permitted use on the remediated land
what technical and environmental conditions would need to be met
whether there are any remaining risks to the environment or public health

No work until the green light comes

The municipality has made clear it will not move forward unless it receives full scientific documentation and legal clearance. No budget figure or construction timeline has been made public. The project remains entirely dependent on the outcome of the regulatory review.

If approval is granted, the municipality says it intends to proceed in a planned and responsible manner so that the site can be handed back to the community safely.

Note: This article is based solely on the official press release issued by the Apokoronas municipal authority.

Official source

PRESS RELEASE – From the ΧΑΔΑ to the Football Pitch – From the Past to the Future

February 6, 2026, 8:05 AM

About fifteen years ago, the site of the former uncontrolled landfill (ΧΑΔΑ) of Kalyves was fully remediated through a European programme, closing a difficult chapter of environmental burden for our region.

Today, the local community puts forward a mature and substantive request: that this site should acquire life and purpose, that it should be converted into a football pitch — into a space for sport, meeting and creativity for our youth.

The Municipal Authority approaches this request with a positive disposition but also with absolute responsibility. This is not merely a technical project. It is a symbolic act —

where once there was disposal, let there be prospect, where once there was an environmental wound, let a living space be born.

The Municipality has already submitted an official request to the competent environmental authorities in order to establish whether the specific use is permitted on the remediated site, to determine the necessary technical and environmental preconditions, and to ensure that there is no risk whatsoever to the environment and public health.

The Municipality of Apokoronas will proceed only if full scientific documentation and legality are in place.

If the competent services give the green light, we will move forward with a plan, carefully and responsibly, so that the site can be returned to the community with safety and transparency.