Corfu, Greece: Twenty Four Hours in Corfu; The Problem of the Garbage Piles

From Linda Fagioli-Katsiotas - a visitor who loves Corfu - but who couldn't tolerate the garbage

"How does one write about spending time in Corfu at this particular time without mentioning the stinky garbage piles?"

"I found the city of Corfu to be overwrought with a stench from unsightly, uncollected mountains of garbage, that I personally could not tolerate. I believe myself to be a very ordinary person and suspect that my experience of working hard for many years and saving money for hard-earned vacations is something many prospective tourists share. Therefore, I would be extraordinarily disappointed if I had booked a holiday in the city of Corfu at this particular time."

I'll be back in Corfu tomorrow. I hope the situation has improved by now - for the sake of everyone, as well as for my daughter and grandchildren visiting from the USA.

Update -1st July - back in Corfu. Still a disgusting and intolerable situation for everyone on the island. I learned from one acquaintance of people who'd taken three lorries at six am to dump the intolerable local piles of trash and rotting refuse down an isolated ravine.

I gather the local authorities have been trying to persuade the better-organised municipalities of Epirus, such as Ioannina, to take the Corfiot trash (and the garbage from Lefkada). They refuse. Roma entrepreneurs are now charging hotels and wealthy individuals upwards of 500 Euros a utility- truck-load to dispose of trash-piles "elsewhere" on the island. You just have to know the right number to phone.

Makeshift dumps, plastic sheeting and lime powder (asvesti) won't solve this shocking problem.

The Ugly Truth (Facebook)

Finally, a mention in the national media, eKathimerini - "Corfu hoteliers getting desperate over trash pileup"

Believe me, it isn't just the hoteliers. I'm surprised there hasn't been an uprising. It's a catastrophic "tragedy without end" (Kerkyraiki Apopse, newspaper).

Corfu, Island Paradise (Kerkyra)

Στο νησί:

God gave Man the clear blue sea;

Man gave God – χωματερή!

Wishful thinking?