Out of sight, out of mind.

That’s how most of us treat our trash. Once we throw it “away”, it simply disappears, right? The reality is, of course, far more complex. And I’ll admit: I used to know very little about what happens to our waste after the bin. That changed during my studies, when I took a course on “Waste Management” that ended up being one of the most eye-opening modules I’ve had.

Fast forward to June this year: as part of the project meeting in Chania, Crete, the LUCRA partners had the chance to visit the local DEDISA waste treatment facility and see in real life what modern municipal waste management looks like. What we found was not only a highly professional operation, but also a striking contrast to the past.

From the Cliff to the Circular Economy

Our tour started with a surprising bit of history. Just a few decades ago, there was no organized waste treatment in this area. Locals used to dump their trash straight off in a gorge that enters the sea. No separation, no treatment, just garbage disappearing into the water. It was unthinkable by today’s standards, and it shows just how dramatically things have changed.

Chania’s Waste System: Modern Solutions Since 2005

Since 2005, the city of Chania has operated a dedicated waste treatment facility, run by DEDISA and co-financed by the municipality. It was the first plant on Crete to implement a structured, environmentally responsible system for managing municipal solid waste.

DEDISA manages six major waste streams:

• Recyclables (plastic, paper, metals)
• Glass packaging
• Organic waste (from households, but also from hotels and restaurants)
• Bulky waste (e.g. furniture)
• Green waste (from municipal prunings and gardens)
• Mixed solid waste

Recycling: From Conveyor Belts to Careful Hands

Recyclables are sorted in several steps:

• Conveyor belts transport materials through the facility
• Optical Separators distinguish plastics by density
• Robotic separators distinguish recyclable materials from the residues
• Magnets and eddy currents separate metals (ferrous and aluminum)
• A final manual sorting step ensures purity and quality

Composting: Letting Microbes Do the Work

One of the most fascinating sections of the tour was the composting area—a literal hot spot of microbial activity.

Here’s how it works:

• Organic material (mostly from the hospitality sector) is arranged into large piles
• These piles are regularly turned to ensure oxygen distribution and uniform decomposition
• Bacterial activity in the pile’s core creates temperatures over 60°C
• This heat is essential for sanitizing the compost (killing pathogens and weed seeds)
• Workers use giant thermometers to monitor temperature and ensure proper conditions

Over time, this organic waste is transformed into nutrient-rich compost and soil-improver, which is then used in local agriculture – a perfect example of circular resource use.

What Can’t Be Recycled Ends Up in Landfill

Despite best efforts, some waste still ends up in landfill – though even this is done responsibly:

• Landfill areas are lined with thick plastic membranes to prevent leachate leakage
• Leachate, a toxic liquid formed by decomposing waste and rainwater, is collected through underground pipes and chemically treated
• Methane gas is captured and safely vented or potentially reused
• Once sealed, each landfill section is capped and covered with soil

Still, landfilling is a last resort, not a solution. It only delays the problem. In fact, given rising raw material scarcity, many experts believe that we’ll one day dig back into old landfills to recover valuable materials – a process known as landfill mining.

LUCRA: Giving Organic Waste a New Purpose

So where does LUCRA fit into all of this?

Our EU-funded project focuses on using biotechnology to convert organic waste into high-value biochemicals – most notably succinic acid, which has applications in bioplastics, coatings, and even pharmaceuticals.

The vision is to close the loop: taking what was once seen as worthless and turning it into a valuable building block of a more sustainable economy.

Our visit to DEDISA was a powerful reminder that real progress happens when infrastructure, innovation, and intention come together.

The Takeaway

We all produce waste, but few of us know what really happens to it. Behind the scenes, places like DEDISA do the heavy lifting to keep our ecosystems clean, our resources circulating, and our cities functioning.

Waste doesn’t just vanish. But if we treat it right, it doesn’t have to be wasted.

Watch our short video recap for some lively impressions of the DEDISA tour: