Cultural association Tsigounas

Tsigounas is a small village on the coast of the Libyan Sea beside the Asterousia Mountains. The residents are mainly active in agriculture. The greenhouse culture, which has grown extremely since the 1990s, brought advantages on the one hand, but also serious problems. One review of the 2004/2005 season: 18 tons of plastic waste, which the residents also faced. The fatal thing up to then: Almost 30 percent were simply left in the countryside, more than 30 percent were burned, a considerable amount left on free dumps and only 17 percent were recycled. In sum, an ecological disaster, other localities in the region were in a quite similar situation. But a process of reflection and change began in the village. The “Cultural Association of Tsigounas” was founded. As a result, and over the following years until today: All plastic waste has been recycled for a long time. In addition, the village has practiced its household waste separation for several years. Broken water pipes and therefore water wastage is a thing of the past. The village was also embellished, and much was done for communication and culture. Thus, Tsigounas has established itself as a role model for the region.