ATHENS – An overwhelming 81 percent of people in a Greek survey said the government isn’t doing a good job with managing the country’s waste or recycling, despite years of intermittent attempts to educate people.

The poll was taken by Metron Analysis on behalf of ESDNA, a local government body responsible for waste management, recycling and composting and showed disappointment especially over recycling efforts.

Only 33 percent of people said they know that a brown bin is for kitchen garbage while blue is for recycling and green is for other waste, with frequent scenes of rubbish being put in recycling bins.

One in four think that “non-recyclable waste” goes in the green bin, with 38 percent saying it is for “general rubbish” although there are small signs on them indicating the purpose for use.

Some 73 percent, said Kathimerini, said they consider the issue of cleanliness and garbage “very serious” or “quite serious,” while 68 percent said,  compared to the rest of Europe, Greece is far behind in terms of management. Singled out for failure were the landfills in Attica, which include the capital and half the country’s population, 76 percent said it is flawed, 63 percent saying there’s too much rubbish where they live and 79 percent wanting change.