Background Mixed waste in Athens, as elsewhere in Greece, is collected by local authorities in cooperation with the Hellenic Recovery Recycling Corporation. The collected waste is either landfilled or subject to treatment in a mechanical biological treatment (MBT) plant. Athens has only one MBT plant, which handles approximately 20% of the entire waste produced in the Greater Athens area, producing low quality compost. The EU Landfill Directive binds Greece to the reduction of biodegradable waste sent to landfill to 35% of 1995 levels by 2020. However, no infrastructure for the separation at source and collection of biowaste exists in Greece, although separate collection of organic waste is promoted in all Regional Waste Management Plans and numerous biological treatment projects are in the planning stage. Objectives The ‘Athens-Bio-waste’ project aims to establish and promote sustainable biowaste management in Greece using the municipalities of Athens and Kifissia as case study areas. Two separate collection systems will be launched and collected material will be composted. An innovative software tool will evaluate the chain of biowaste management through lifecycle thinking in order to disseminate and evaluate the benefits of sustainable biowaste management in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. The quality of the produced compost will be assessed through laboratory analysis to ensure it meets European standards, and a compost quality model will be created to correlate compost quality to parameters such as biowaste composition and collection method. The project will also develop a market for compost. The project will seek to raise awareness among citizens and other stakeholders regarding management of biowaste. A practical guide to biowaste management for local authorities will be produced. Gaps in Greek policy and legislation related to biowaste will be identified and recommendations for the technical specification on waste management and other legislative issues will be drafted. Expected results: The project will examine and evaluate 70% of all biowaste separate collection methods in use in the EU; The project will identify at least five biowaste parameters that will be used to design future biological treatment plants in Athens and elsewhere in Greece; An LCA-based bio-waste management software tool will be developed; A compost quality correlation model will be developed; The project will establish two pilot schemes for the separate collection of biowaste by residents; At least 6 000 inhabitants will participate in the scheme in the two pilot areas, raising awareness of separate collection of biowaste; At least 1 120 biowaste collection bins will be distributed to the participating municipalities; Some 720 tonnes of biowaste will be recovered by the two pilot separate collection schemes in Athens; This biowaste will be composted, producing 300 tonnes of compost; The project will promote sustainable management of biowaste.