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International Journal of Environment and Waste Management Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands' residents: a footprint due to refugee inflows
Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands' residents: a footprint due to refugee inflows
Kounani, Aristea, Skanavis, Constantina, Marini, Kalliopi, Plaka, Valentinaآپ کو یہ کتاب کتنی پسند ہے؟
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جلد:
25
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2020
رسالہ:
International Journal of Environment and Waste Management
DOI:
10.1504/ijewm.2020.106291
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Int. J. Environment and Waste Management, Vol. 25, No. 3, 2020 Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents: a footprint due to refugee inflows Aristea Kounani*, Constantina Skanavis, Kalliopi Marini and Valentina Plaka Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece Email: akounani@yahoo.gr Email: cskanav@aegean.gr Email: kmarini1@gmail.com Email: plaka@env.aegean.gr *Corresponding author Abstract: The present questionnaire-based research was conducted during the spring and summer of 2017 at the Greek Aegean islands, Lesvos and Skyros. The aim of the research was to reveal the locals’ general environmental awareness, their attitudes towards waste management, recycling and management of ‘special wastes’. As a ‘special wastes’ are considered the life jackets and the inflatable boats. This study sought to answer mainly the following research questions: a) whether there were statistically significant differences between residents of the two Aegean Islands with regard to their views; b) whether there were statistically significant correlations between the attitude towards waste management, the attitude towards recycling, the attitude towards the management of ‘special wastes’ and their environmental awareness. This research was designed and implemented having the motivation to create an environmental awareness raising campaign for Greek residents concerning the great issue of waste management Greece is dealing with due to mass refugees’ arrivals. Keywords: migration; environmental awareness; waste management; Syrian refugee crisis; refugees’ footprint; Aegean Islands; Greece. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Kounani, A., Skanavis, C., Marini, K. and Plaka, V. (2020) ‘Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents: a footprint due to refugee inflows’, Int. J. Environment and Waste Management, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp.263–297. Biographical notes: Aristea Kounani is a PhD candidate at the Department of the Environment at the University of the Aegean and a ; Senior Researcher at the Research Centre of Environmental Education and Communication, at the Department of Environment. She holds a Master’s degree in Agriculture and Environment and Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Technology. Her research is expanded in the fields of climate change, sustainable development (SD), environmental education and communication. She is currently conducting research towards refugees (environmental-climate refugees), education for SD and climate change communication. She aims to contribute to SD promotion and climate mitigation strategies at a global scale. Copyright © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. 263 264 A. Kounani et al. Constantina Skanavis is a Professor in Environmental Communication and Education at the Department of Environment, University of the Aegean (Mytilene, Greece). She is also the Head of the Research Centre of Environmental Education and Communication. She joined the University of the Aegean 15 years ago. Before that she was a Professor at California State University, Los Angeles. She has developed several courses on issues of environmental health and education. She currently teaches environmental education, environmental communication and environmental interpretation courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has numerous publications on an international basis and has given presentations all over the world. Kalliopi Marini has studied Psychology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She holds an MSc degree in Social/Organisational Psychology. She is a certified Cognitive-Behavioural Psychotherapist. Since 2003, she has been working as a free-lancer, being one of the basic cooperators of ISON Psychometrica Ltd. Experienced in applied psychology, including testing, professional training and social research. She often participates in specialised relevant research. During the last ten years, she has been working as a Cognitive-Behavioural Psychotherapist. Since 2016, her research interests have expanded in the fields of environmental education and communication, pursuing a Doctoral degree at the University of the Aegean. Valentina Plaka is an Environmental Scientist, who holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Biodiversity Conservation from the University of the Aegean. Currently, she is a PhD candidate in Environmental Communication and Education at the University of the Aegean. She was the recipient of the Postgraduate Award of Excellence, from the University of the Aegean. She is the author of a list of research papers, journal articles and book chapters and has presented on international and national conferences. She contributes regularly in an educational e-journal on the environmental section. Presently, she is in the process of creating an educational kit on environmental issues. She aims to promote a new environmental lifestyle, based on sustainable development education. This paper is a revised and expanded version of a paper entitled ‘Refugee crisis: Greek residents’ attitudes towards waste management in their region’ presented at International Conference ‘Protection and Restoration XIV’, Thessaloniki, Greece, 3–6 July 2018. 1 Introduction People have historically forsake regions with raucous or deteriorating conditions, whether this is in terms of political upheaval, high unemployment, poor precipitation, or some permutation of these or other adverse factors (Black, 2001). Given this situation, the interdependence between violent conflicts and environmental alterations has fascinated much attention recently. World history proves that the most dramatic migration movements were: firstly, the one of 12 million Germans migrating from Eastern Europe to Western Europe after the Second World War (Bahcekapili and Cetin, 2015) and secondly, the one caused by the Syrian war. The conflict in Syria continues to produce the gravest displacement crisis in the world today; generating dramatic levels of Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 265 suffering, and shattering the lives of many Syrian people – along with their hopes and dreams. By the end of 2015 an unprecedented 65.3 million people around the world have been enforced from home due to the war, discrimination or violation of the human rights (UNHCR, 2017b). This mass exodus of people from their own country has exponentially augmented in present days and until the end of July 2018 the number was upraised to 68.5 million people (UNHCR, 2018). The consequences of this global phenomenon are much bigger than the actual issue itself. Migrants and refugees flocking into Europe from South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East have presented European leaders and policymakers with a heavy task since the Eurozone crisis (Genschel and Jachtenfucht, 2018; CFR, 2015). The last few years, Greece is experiencing a big economic downturn, as well as the impacts of a refugee crisis. As migrants cross the Aegean Sea to reach Europe, the Greek islands near the Turkish coast are reaching their carrying capacity, since in many occasions they receive and host more refugees than they could accommodate. Syria is presenting the biggest humanitarian and refugee crisis of recent years, a continuing cause of suffering for millions of human beings. This massive immigration obviously has affected all the neighbouring to Syria countries, including Greece. The foremost environmental issue the Greek islands are being confronted with, due to refugees’ movement, is the disposal of plastic from their life jackets and inflatable crafts, remnants upon their arrival to the receiving points (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016). Moreover, landfill capacity is not adequate for the unanticipated inflow of people in the islands where refugees arrive, since the main issue that the islands are confronted with is the lack of sufficient land and adequate infrastructure for accumulated wastes (Karkazi et al., 2003). The present research, a questionnaire-based survey, was conducted in the spring and summer of 2017 at the Greek Aegean Islands, Lesvos and Skyros. The aim of the survey was to recognise whether or not there is a significant difference in total environmental awareness towards waste management and ‘special wastes’ management between the residents of Lesvos, a migrant receiving and hosting community, and Skyros Island a Greek island community, serving as a control group that neither receives nor hosts migrants. Lesvos is an island near Turkey and a major player in the European migrant mobility crisis, while Skyros is one of the smaller islands closer to mainland Greece not involved in the refugee crisis scenario. This study sought to answer the following research questions: a to what extent the inhabitants of the two Aegean Islands are environmentally aware b what is their attitude regarding the waste management of their area c what are their views regarding the management of ‘special wastes’ d what are their views regarding recycling e whether there are statistically significant differences between residents of the two Aegean Islands with regard to their views on all previous issues f whether there are statistically significant correlations between the attitude towards waste management and the attitude towards recycling, the attitude towards the 266 A. Kounani et al. management of ‘special wastes’, the environmental awareness and the intention to change and participate in the solution of the problems caused by the refugees. 1.1 Environmental context of human migration on hosting regions Sudden appearance of a large number of refugees, have major effects on the social, environmental and political conditions of the receiving areas. Particularly, in case the hosting nation does not have sustainable and integrated management plans regarding these concerns, this could have calamitous complications (Dyrholm and Mikkelsen, 2013). As the majority of the world’s refugees are hosted in camps in the poor areas of the planet, plainly, they are enhancing the competition with already desperate nationals for scarce jobs and services, and depositing a further strain on social services and physical infrastructure (Dyrholm and Mikkelsen, 2013). Camps are temporary structures that cannot provide permanent or sustainable solutions. They render refugees’ physical and material security, as well as legal security, such as access to justice, a legal status and documentation, while they provide them with medical treatment, food, and shelter as they are waiting for more long-lasting disentanglement. The encampment of refugees is extremely criticised by several scholars and is referred to by many as ‘warehousing’ of refugees. Refugees can be warehoused in refugee camps for years, despairing of the future. Therefore camps are often overcrowded with badly dwelling structures such as are tents or flimsy huts, and water and sanitation infrastructure is problematic, especially over the long term (Jacobsen, 1997). Epidemics such as measles, dysentery, meningitis and cholera are often widespread in the congested camps (Harrell-Bond, 1989). The environmental impacts of migration on host environments are similar to those of overpopulation (Lee, 1995). Unquestionably refugee camps can have deleterious impacts on local environmental conditions (Biswas and Tortajada-Quiroz, 1996; Jacobsen 1997; Barnett and Webber, 2010). Nobody expects refugees to be environmentally conscious while they are striving for their lives and crossing hundreds of miles daily to find a better life for them and their children (Oakes, 2007). Where there is an increment in population within a short period in a restricted rural area, there is bound to be stress on resources, especially land and forest products. As noted by Biswas and Tortajada-Quiroz (1996) where substantial numbers of displaced populations settled in a restricted area, negative environmental impacts such as deforestation become a common phenomenon (Agblorti and Awusabo-Asare, 2011). Destructive land use and deforestation are two of the major impacts of refugees’ camps. For example, South Kivu lost 3,750 ha of forests within three weeks of the settlement of refugees (Biswas and Tortajada-Quiroz, 1996). Surface and groundwater pollution is another foremost effect where the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) in open dumps and in rivers contaminates surface and groundwater resources depending on soil permeability of the site (Kherfan, 2016). Failure to mitigate these impacts leads to degraded environment. Poor host countries’ fear of letting refugees put further strain on scarce resources and cause instability in the country makes them have a preference to only offer impermanent settlement in refugee camps as an alternative of letting them integrate (Dyrholm and Mikkelsen, 2013). The integration of refugees is contingent on the tolerance of host communities to infractions and the preparedness of the refugees to operate within the acceptable norms of the community. Where the activities of refugees threaten the systems of the host population, peaceful coexistence is likely to be problematic (Agblorti and Awusabo-Asare, 2011). Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 267 Political situation and governmental plans and policies play a significant role in the management of refugees’ concerns. In fact, the environment of refugees is enough in itself to reflect on the environmental and political situation of the hosting country (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016). 1.2 The Syrian refugee crisis The Syrian civil war started in spring 2011, well known as the Arab Spring, is a religious war between different ethnic groups in the Arabian world (Bahcekapili and Cetin, 2015). This war is ongoing and causes massive migration of people from Syria and the surrounding countries as well to Europe (The Lancet, 2014). The Syria crisis has displaced 4.81 million Syrian refugees into the Republic of Turkey, the Lebanese Republic, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Iraq and the Arab Republic of Egypt, and there are an estimated 6.1 million internally displaced people within Syria. Turkey hosts more Syrian refugees than any other country – some 2.76 million, Lebanon one million, Jordan 655,000, Iraq hosts nearly 230,000 Syrian refugees, as well as 3.2 million internally displaced Iraqis and Egypt hosts around 115,000 Syrian refugees along with refugees from many other countries. During 2016, the number of registered Syrian refugees protected by these five countries has increased by almost 200,000 to stand at 4.81 million at the end of November 2017 (UNCHR, 2017a). Figure 1 Sea arrivals to Mediterranean Sea from 2008 to 2018 (see online version for colours) Source: Based on data received in 9th March 2018 by UNHCR Based on the authority of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Syrians, along with migrants and refugees from other war-torn countries, have fled to Turkey and attempted to cross Mediterranean Sea to seek refuge in Europe, overwhelming receiving countries, since they were not ready or willing to cope with this abrupt outcome. The main receiving European countries are Italy and Greece (UNHCR, 2017c). According to data received by UNHCR in 9th March 2018 in Figure 1, refugee inflows in Mediterranean Sea are presented. Year 2015 was the one with the greatest refugees’ influxes, while it is observed a continuous decrease in the numbers of refugees that reach the European coasts. The extent of the refugees’ flows to each receiving country is shown in Figure 2, and as it is noticed Italy was the 1st and Greece was the 2nd 268 A. Kounani et al. in popularity countries. Similar scenario is experienced in 2018, shown in Figure 3. The current migrant situation in Europe and Greece in particular, is referred to as the ‘European refugee crisis’. Europe was awed by the massive flow of migrants and refugees crossing its borders in 2015, 2016 and 2017 (Kounani and Skanavis, 2018a). Figure 2 Sea arrivals to Mediterranean Sea per country for the year 2017 (see online version for colours) Source: Based on data received in 9th March 2018 by UNHCR Figure 3 Sea arrivals to Mediterranean Sea per country for the year 2018 (see online version for colours) Source: Based on data received in 9th March 2018 by UNHCR Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 269 1.3 Refugee crisis in Greece Syria is presenting the biggest humanitarian and refugee crisis of recent years, a continuing cause of suffering for millions of people (UNHCR, 2016). This massive immigration obviously has affected all the neighbouring to Syria, countries including Greece. As UNHCR pointed until the 9th of March 2018 more than 3,146 refugees have arrived to Greece from Turkey, bringing the total number of such arrivals into Greece to 1,104,075 since the January of 2014 (UNHCR, 2017d). For more than seven years refugees and migrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq have been crossing Mediterranean Sea heading to Greece (UNHCR, 2016). In Figure 4, the total refugees’ influxes for the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (until the 9th of March when the data were received by the UNHCR) are presented. Year 2015 was the one that Greece accepted the greatest inflows of refugees. Figure 4 Total sea arrivals to Aegean Sea per year from 2014 to 2018 (see online version for colours) Source: Based on data received in 9th March 2018 by UNHCR However, Greece is not refugees’ final European destination, since they wish to continue their journey to northern and western EU countries. All these years, Greek islands, that are located closely to Turkey coastlines, such as Lesvos, Chios and Samos, are facing an enormous pressure, since they are dealing with such large number of refugee arrivals. Figure 5 depicts the numbers of refugees that reached the Greek Islands, the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, based on data received in 9th March 2018 from the Hellenic Police. It is noted Lesvos Island is the one that has received most refugees all these years. Additionally, the aforementioned Greek islands, having the characteristics of all small islands (Hess, 1990), happen to have restricted economic resources and a fragile environmental sustainability structure making them confoundedly destructible in emergency circumstances (Polido et al., 2014), like the one associated with the Syrian crisis and widely with the Middle East Refugee Crisis. While most of the refugees arriving in Greece were from Syria, the country saw also an unprecedented number of migrants from other countries such as Afghanistan, and Iraq, as well as smaller numbers from countries such as Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan (UNHCR, 2015). In 2015, and the years before, refugees and migrants travelled through the Greek islands and quickly 270 A. Kounani et al. continued their journey to Athens and onwards to other European countries. But as the Balkan countries built fences and closed their borders, refugees were trapped in Greece (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016). Figure 5 Number of refugees that reach the Greek Islands, the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (see online version for colours) Source: Based on data received in 9th March 2018 by Hellenic Police (2018) Greece was not prepared to deal with such a massive migration flow (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016), since it has been seriously affected by the global economic turmoil during the last decade (Kentikelenis et al., 2011). This crisis has caused a dramatic impact on inhabitants’ everyday life, since the reduction or absence of income has caused losses in prosperity and has already pushed large sections of the population in poverty status (Knight, 2013). The national health system was quite shaky, which has made even harder the delivery of services to the latest refugee flow. According to data received in February 2018 by the Interior Ministry of Greece and National Center for Immigration and Asylum Border Control (2018), refugees in Greek receiving regions are often hosted in refugees’ camps that are seriously overcrowded. For example the refugee camp in Moria at Lesvos Island hosts over 5,241 individuals while its capacity is 3,000. Table 1 presents the number of refugees that each Aegean Island hosts and the capacity of its hosting infrastructure. These three Aegean Islands (Lesvos, Chios and Samos), that received the greatest portion of refugees are the ones that also have the over-crowded refugee camps (IMG, 2018). Table 1 The number of refugees that is hosted in Aegean Islands per refugee camp (hosting structure), according to data received by the Interior Ministry of Greece (March 2018) Hosted refugees Structure capacity Lesvos 5,241 3,000 Chios 1,216 1,014 Samos 2,527 648 Kos 574 860 Rhodes and Tilos 758 770 Source: IMG (March, 2018) Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 271 Besides the security debate, other impacts of migration on host communities span across environmental, economic, and social factors (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016). Providing economic opportunities to the newcomers can be a challenge; a lack of economic opportunities may boost crime, causing further tension in these already apprehensive communities (Hirsch, 2016). Thus, social integration measures are much needed, both for the migrants to feel welcomed but also for the locals to get over the fear and prejudices of these newcomers. Moreover, learning the local language and feeling socially accepted in a community can have significant mental and psychological health benefits for the migrants who often have built up anxiety from their uncertain life situation. Concerning the environmental pressures of migration on the Greek islands, they include increased natural resource pressures, land clearing for construction of refugee camps, greater waste generation and increased energy consumption. Especially, the enormous amounts of wastes from the life jackets and rubber dinghies that the migrants used in order to cross the sea pose a massive challenge to the Greek islands. However, with inadequate landfill capacity and no facilities in Greece to recycle these materials, life jackets in particular, the islands are not just facing challenges with migration movement but also the ever increasing piles of waste (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016). This entire unfavourable situation that Greece is being confronted with makes impossible to secure basic human rights such as food, clean water, housing etc. (The Guardian, 2017), for these evicted populations, and often the scenario is too burdensome even for the inhabitants of the hosting areas (Kounani and Skanavis, 2018a). Even though these migrant hosting communities face immense pressures in terms of security, environmental damage, economic burden and social tensions, the blame and responsibility is not solely on the shoulders of migrants. To address the increased challenges of migration there is a great need for well-organised resettlement to minimise these tensions between migrants and locals. These resettlement programs ought to be developed by migrants and locals as well as include both parties to ease tensions and reduce conflict (Hirsch, 2016; Kherfan, 2016) especially in communities where the cultural differences between migrants and locals are immense. 1.4 The case of Lesvos Island The island of Lesvos, also called Mytilene, is located in the North-Eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest island after Crete and Euboea in the Aegean Sea (1,630.5-square-km), with a coastline of 370 km (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2017). The Municipality of the island of Lesvos consists of 13 sections and 190 villages with a total population of 85,412 residents (based on data received by the Hellenic Statistical Authority). The main island activities include farming, fishing and agriculture. With its beautiful, unique and full of variety landscapes, the island has developed ecotourism and other forms of alternative tourism investments. Consequently, this concept attracts many tourists with different expectations and interests (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016). 1.4.1 Municipal solid waste production and environmental management of Lesvos Island According to receiving data from the ‘Service of Planning Department, Cleanliness, Recycling, Waste Collection’ of the Municipality of Lesvos, the amount of unsorted wastes and the recyclables in years 2013 to 2017 are depicted in Table 2. As it is 272 A. Kounani et al. observed there is a continuously increased trend in the produced amount of solid wastes in recent years. Furthermore, according to the provided data, the amount of MSW on the island is estimated about 100 tones/day in winter and ranges from 120–130 tones / day in the tourist season. Concerning to the production of municipal solid waste (SMW) due to refugees’ flows, it depends on the refugees’ influxes and the total number of permanently hosted refugees (along with, for example, guest members, NGOs, journalists, etc.), which as it had been estimated by the municipality of Lesvos, it ranges between 7 to 30 tons in 2016 (Municipality of Lesvos, 2018). According to data received in March 2018 the produced MSW due to refugees’ settlement in camps was almost 20 cubic metres daily. Table 2 The amount of produced solid wastes in Lesvos Year Total amount of municipal solid waste (tones/year) total amount of recyclables (tones/year) total amount of produced waste (tones/year) 2013 33.228,93 - 33.228,93 2014 37.146,39 1.285 38.431,39 2015 36.322,14 2.186 38.508,14 2016 38.056,71 2.844 40.900,71 2017 39,108.72 9,332,1 42,430.82 The Central Sanitary Landfill Disposal of the island is 307 acres. The responsibility of uploading, disposal and recovery of wastes is placed on the Municipal Waste Management and Environmental Development Company of Lesvos. Sorting, compression, and sale of recyclables takes place in a private centre, the recycling sorting in Moria area, run by the company ‘Sea-Lesvos Foundries Recycling SA’ (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016). 1.4.2 Impacts of the refugees’ flows in Lesvos Island Initially, the majority of refugees were staying temporarily at Greek islands for 2–4 days, for registration purposes. Then, they were being transferred to Athens in order to continue their journey to Northern European countries. But, due to the closure of European borders a noteworthy number of them have been trapped in Greece with an ambiguous departure date (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016). The foremost environmental issue Lesvos Island is being confronted with, due to refugees’ movement, is the disposal of plastic from their life jackets, inflatable crafts, inflatable tubes and clothing, remnants upon their arrival to the islands. This novel type of marine litter dominates several beaches and becomes progressively abundant. A research conducted, in 2015, towards the marine litter, caused by the refugees’ arrivals, by Katsanevakis in two beaches of Lesvos found immigration-related stuffs to account for more than 97% of marine litter by weight, which adds pressure on marine biodiversity and the local economy, influencing the recreational value of beaches. More specifically large items on the founded seabed such as plastic pieces from inflatable boats can cause substantial damage to flora and sessile fauna by smothering, while smaller pieces can impact marine life through entanglement, ingestion or even by assisting the secondary Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 273 spread of invasive species (Katsanevakis and Crocetta, 2014). Marine litter is a solemn insult to the visual and other aesthetic sensitivities of tourists and local visitors to beaches (Katsanevakis, 2008). The cost of regular cleanups of beaches and the seabed but also of terrestrial areas should be added to the total cost of immigration-related littering for the local economy (Katsanevakis, 2015). Moreover, landfill capacity is not adequate for the unanticipated inflow of people in the islands where refugees arrive. The volume of lifejackets and boats collected until December 2017 was about 20,000 cubic metres (Kounani and Skanavis, 2018b). This type of trashy waste has been gathered and conveyed to three municipal stations, in an exertion to find a way to recycle it. Skanavis and Kounani (2016), based on a study that was conducted by the Municipality of Lesvos while trying to assess the amount of pressure the island was up to, reckoning the number of refugees that are hosted at the island daily (including the hosted NGO members, journalists, etc.), concluded that the daily production of municipal solid wastes related to the refugees’ flow cost for collection – transport – landfill services, between 1,500 to 5,500 Euros. As it was aforementioned, Lesvos Island has an extremely overcrowded refugee camp in Moria and is hosting 5,241 refugees in a temporary infrastructure with a capacity of 3,000 (IMG, 2018). The refugees’ footprint can be summarised as: pressure on water and energy demand, soil destruction, air pollution, waste production. However, every refugee crisis is unique and needs to be observed and managed as an individual occasion. When it comes to solid wastes, there is a large increase because of refugees stay for lots of days into the camps (Skanavis and Kounani, 2016). 1.5 The case of Skyros Island Skyros Island, the largest and easternmost of the Northern Sporades in the Aegean Sea, is a small Greek island that has an area of 81 square miles (210 square km). It is located almost 30 km away from Evia Island (Eclyclopaedia Britannica, 2017) and has a population of 2,888 inhabitants (Hellenic Statistical Authority, 2014). The islanders on Skyros are engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry (famous for its small horses), fishing, small industry and resin collection. In general, Skyros presents low seasonal wastes’ variation due to its mild touristic development (Pertrakopoulou, 2015). 1.5.1 Municipal solid waste production and environmental management of Skyros Island The wastes of Skyros Island are collected by the municipality and transferred to the landfill site located in the ‘Kourakas’ location. The recyclables are collected by the municipality of Skyros and transferred to a recycling plant in Schimatari. Collection of recyclables during the winter is done twice a week and the transfer to the recycling plant is done once a week. The total amounts of MSW and Recyclables, for the years 2012 to 2016, are presented in Table 3. Unfortunately the data provided by the municipality is incomplete because the weigh machine since 2014 has been out of order. 274 A. Kounani et al. Table 3 Year The amount of the produced MSW in Skyros Island Total amount of municipal solid waste (tones/year) Total amount of recyclables (tones/year) Total amount of produced waste (tones/year) 2012 1.525 130,23 1.655,23 2013 1.376 39,60 1.415,6 2014 - 71,50 2015 - 93,50 2016 - 66,90 2017 - - - Source: Municipality of Skyros (2017) 2 Materials and methods In the spring and summer of 2017, a questionnaire-based survey supplemented to the two Greek Aegean islands, in order to explore local’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour towards waste management of their region, management of ‘special wastes’ as well as the general environmental awareness in these communities. Also, this study aimed to identify whether the refugee crisis is affecting the local population’s environmental awareness. 2.1 Research questions This study sought to answer the following research questions; To what extent are the inhabitants of the two Aegean Islands environmentally aware? What is the attitude of the inhabitants of the two Aegean Islands regarding the waste management of their area? What are the views of respondents from the two Aegean Islands regarding the management of special wastes? What are the views of respondents in the two Aegean Islands on the issue of recycling? Are there statistically significant differences between residents of the two Aegean Islands with regard to their views on all previous issues? Is there a statistically significant correlation between the attitude towards waste management and the attitude towards recycling, the attitude towards the management of special wastes, the environmental awareness and the intention to change and participate in the solution of the problems caused by the refugees? 2.2 Research area The research areas were the island of Lesvos, an area that receives large inflows of refugees and hosts one of the biggest refugees’ camps in Greece, as well as Skyros Island, an island that is not influenced by the refugees’ inflow at all. Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 275 2.3 Research instruments The primary data was received through a door-to-door survey, using a well-structured questionnaire based on extended review of the available literature. The questionnaire contained 30 questions that were divided into three groups. The first group, of six questions, inquired demographics information, the second group, of six questions, provided data towards the perceptions of the participants on general environmental issues and the last group, of 18 questions, supplied information concerning the knowledge, the perceptions and the willingness to act towards the MSW management and the management of the ‘special wastes’ produced by the refugees. For the statistical analysis of the received data SPSS was used. The secondary data was gathered by the reports of ‘The Hellenic Police’, ‘UNHCR’, ‘The Interior Ministry of Greece (IMG), Department: National Center for Immigration and Asylum Border Control’, ‘The Hellenic Statistical Authority’, ‘The Municipality of Skyros’ and ‘The Municipality of Lesvos: Service of Planning Department, Cleanliness, Recycling, Waste Collection’. The received data was presented through figures and tables in order to make the results easier comprehended. 2.4 Research sample The respondents of this study were the inhabitants of Lesvos Island, the total number of whom were 140, and the inhabitants of Skyros Island, the total number of whom was 141. The sample was a random selection of residents of those two islands. 3 Results As it was aforementioned, the questions of the questionnaire used for receiving the data, were divided into three groups. Consequently, the results are going to be presented in a similar way. The first group, the demographics’, the second one, information about the knowledge and perceptions of the participants on general environmental issues and the third one, provided information according to the knowledge, perceptions and willingness to act, towards the MSW management and the management of the ‘special wastes’ produced by the refugees. 3.1 Demographics The research sample was composed of 281 islanders (140 Lesvians and 141 Skyrians). The Lesvians participated in the survey, were 55.7% women and 44.3% men. The respondents of the Island of Skyros were of similar sex ratio (56% women and 44% men). The demographic breakdown of the sample is listed below in Figures 6 to 9. Concerning the age of the participants in the survey, most of them appeared to be in the age group of 36–45 years old in both islands (32.9% in Lesvos and 31.9% in Skyros). Furthermore most of the respondents were married (47.1% in Lesvos and 49.6% in Skyros). The number of children for both Lesvians and Skyrians is presented in Figure 10 276 A. Kounani et al. with most of participants having no children in both islands (45.8% in Lesvos and 44.7% in Skyros). Concerning their educational level, Figure 11 shows that the inhabitants of Lesvos appeared to be in a higher level of educational background than Skyros’ inhabitants. Figure 6 Inhabitants of Lesvos age groups (see online version for colours) Figure 7 Inhabitants of Skyros age groups (see online version for colours) Figure 8 Marital status of Lesvos inhabitants (see online version for colours) Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents Figure 9 277 Marital status of Skyros inhabitants (see online version for colours) Figure 10 Lesvians and Skyrians’ number of children (see online version for colours) Figure 11 Educational level of the residents of Lesvos and Skyros (see online version for colours) 278 A. Kounani et al. Their professional status is presented in Figures 12 and 13. The rate of unemployed was the same. Variations were seen in the groups of employed (80.8% in Lesvos and 63.7% in Skyros), the retired (3.1% in Lesvos and 11.3% in Skyros) and the non-employed one (1.4% in Lesvos and 8.5% in Skyros). Figure 12 Professional condition of Lesvos islands’ participants (see online version for colours) Figure 13 Professional condition of Skyros islands’ participants (see online version for colours) 3.2 Lesvos Island’s results 3.2.1 Lesvians’ ‘environmental awareness’ Most of the participants (92.9%) appeared to worry about the environment of their region, whilst the 5.7% were not perturbing and the 1.4% did not worry at all. At the same time their beliefs towards the condition of the natural environment globally are depicted in Figure 14. The predominant answer appeared to be that it ‘is in a deteriorated environmental status which could still be reversed’ (47%). On the other hand the participants’ perceptions towards the seriousness of some problems at a global level and at a country level are presented in Table 4, with the most serious problem for the planet being ‘poverty, the lack of food and water’ (Mean = 4.46/5) and for Greece being ‘the illegal movement of refugees’ (Mean = 4.34/5). 4.00 3.97 140 140 140 140 140 Armed conflicts Nuclear weapons Climate change Overpopulation Valid N 4.14 1.11 1.08 1.14 1.08 0.89 0.94 0.99 0.75 SD For the planet 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 Min 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Max Valid N Overpopulation Nuclear weapons Armed conflicts Climate change Infectious diseases A serious economic crisis Poverty, lack of food and water Illegal movement of refugees Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. 3.65 4.03 4.12 140 140 4.2 A serious economic crisis 140 Illegal movement of refugees 4.46 Infectious diseases 140 Poverty, lack of food and water M 140 140 140 140 140 140 140 140 140 N M 3.35 3.49 3.55 3.67 3.93 4.31 4.34 4.34 For Greece SD 1.24 1.39 1.25 1.15 1.04 0.90 1.00 0.88 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Min 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Max Table 4 N Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents Lesvians’ perceptions about how serious are the following problems 279 140 Valid N 3.8 4.08 4.14 4.2 4.24 4.25 4.27 4.38 1.05 0.95 0.90 0.96 0.86 0.86 0.91 0.76 SD For the planet 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 Min 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Max Valid N Endangered species Ozone depletion Air pollution Climate change Deforestation Increase in MSW production Water pollution Environmental-climate refugees Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. 140 140 140 Deforestation Endangered species 140 Environmental-climate refugees Ozone depletion 140 140 Air pollution 140 Climate change Increase in MSW production 140 Water pollution M 140 140 140 140 140 140 140 140 140 N For Greece M 3.33 3.52 3.78 3.83 3.85 4 4.02 4.11 SD 1.26 1.21 1.01 1.17 1.09 0.94 0.96 1.09 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Min 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Max Table 5 N 280 A. Kounani et al. Lesvos residents’ aspects about the weightiness of the following environmental challenges Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 281 Figure 14 Inhabitants of Lesvos beliefs about the condition of the natural environment globally (see online version for colours) At the same time, Lesvians’ aspects about the weightiness of the some environmental challenges for the planet and for Greece, on a scale of 1 (not serious at all) to 5 (extremely serious) are depicted in Table 5, and as it is observed the most challenging issue for the globe is the water pollution (Mean = 3.38), while for the country is ‘the environmental-climate refugee’ (Mean = 4.11). Their responses on the question how much they agreed with some statements, on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) are shown in Table 6. According to their aspects, the first two statements that Lesvians strongly agreed were ‘the intervention of people in nature has often destroying consequences’ (M = 4.35) and that ‘if things continue to happen in this manner, planet will face an imminent and tremendous environmental disaster’ (M = 4.21). Table 6 Residents of Lesvos standpoint on how much they agree with the statements below N M SD Min Max When people intervene in nature, the consequences are often devastating 140 4.35 0.83 1 5 If things continue this way, we will soon experience an ecological disaster 140 4.21 0.88 1 5 Earth has adequate natural resources, if we manage them properly 140 3.49 1.33 1 5 We are reaching the limit of humans who can live on Earth 140 3.46 1.02 1 5 Earth has limited space and natural resources 140 3.11 1.21 1 5 Science and technology could give the solution of any environmental problem 140 2.87 1.20 1 5 Humans could modify the environment according their needs 140 2.16 1.13 1 5 Valid N 140 Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. 282 A. Kounani et al. 3.2.2 Lesvos residents’ attitude towards waste management, recycling and management of ‘special wastes’ Most of the participants (90%) appeared to be aware about ‘who collects the MSW of their region’, ‘where the collected waste is taken for final disposal’ (80.7%), ‘what items can be recycled through the blue bin recycling in Greece’ (97.9%), ‘where to find a blue bin for disposing their household recycling wastes’ (97.1%) and ‘the negative effects due to ill-treated solid waste’ (72.1%). Most of Lesvos residents (94.3%) appeared to worry if the final disposal of MSW is environmentally safe. Their perceptions towards waste management of MSW are shown in Table 7, and as it is observed they mostly believe that ‘it is wrong to throw wastes on the roads’ (Mean = 4.78) and that ‘they are bothered to see wastes on the roads and coasts’ (Mean = 4.77). Table 7 Lesvians’ perceptions on MSW management N M SD Min Max It is wrong to dispose garbage on the roads 140 4.78 0.55 1 5 I’m bothered to see garbage on the roads and on coasts 140 4.77 0.64 1 5 It is unsafe to dispose waste in places other than that of sanitary landfill 140 4.5 0.68 1 5 Overconsumption is the main reason for waste problem 140 3.88 0.92 1 5 Waste disposal is a big problem in my region 140 3.71 0.75 1 5 I have enough information for waste management in the region I live 140 2.66 1.03 1 5 Valid N 140 Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. Table 8 Lesvians’ attitudes towards recycling N M SD Min Max 140 4.39 0.70 1 5 I have a positive attitude towards recycling 140 4.35 0.64 2 5 By reducing, reusing and recycling waste we help the environmental preservation 140 4.3 0.81 1 5 Most people that are important to me have positive attitude towards recycling 140 4.06 0.84 1 5 I have many opportunities to recycle 140 3.62 1.14 1 5 Recycling contributes to the conservation of the environment I trust the municipality for recycling 140 3.25 1.14 1 5 Recycling is better that reusing 140 3.17 1.14 1 5 The energy demands for recycling overcomes its benefits 140 2.67 0.91 1 5 Recycling causes pollution too 140 2.43 0.96 1 5 Valid N 140 Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 283 A great portion (85%) of the participants recycled their waste and an 82.9% responded that their family recycled as well. Their attitudes towards recycling are depicted in Table 8, and it is worth mentioning that they believed that ‘recycling protects the environment’ (Mean = 4.39) and that ‘they have positive attitude towards recycling’ (Mean = 4.35). Table 9 Lesvos residents’ attitudes towards ‘special wastes’ issue N M SD Min Max Inadequate ‘special wastes’ collection and disposal influences tourism 140 4.42 0.86 1 5 Inadequate ‘special wastes’ collection and disposal influences public health 140 4.26 0.77 1 5 The management of ‘special wastes’ is urgent 140 4.25 0.67 2 5 Recycling plants are needed to solve the ‘special wastes’ problem 140 4.23 0.80 1 5 More staff is needed for cleaning the coasts from ‘special wastes’ 140 4.12 0.99 1 5 Worry about the collection and disposal of ‘special wastes’ 140 3.92 0.88 1 5 The solution in refugee crisis will solve the problem of ‘special wastes’ 140 3.86 1.20 1 5 More sanitary landfills are needed in order to solve the problem of ‘special wastes’ 140 3.18 1.38 1 5 Be aware of waste management in regions receiving refugees 140 2.91 1.27 1 5 The process of combustion could be a solution to the problem of ‘special wastes’ 140 2.54 1.26 1 5 Valid N 140 Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. Lesvian participants’ perceptions on the issue of ‘special wastes’ that their region is being confronted with are presented in Table 9. Their responses revealed that, ‘the inadequate special wastes collection and disposal influences tourism’ (Mean = 4.42), ‘the inadequate special wastes collection and disposal influences public health’ (Mean = 4.26) and ‘the management of special wastes is urgent’ (Mean = 4.25). As far as being aware of waste management in refugees’ receiving regions, the corresponding mean was 2.91. The residents of Lesvos points of view towards the municipality’s way of collecting the wastes of their region are shown in Figure 15. Concerning their opinions only a 36.2% is satisfied. The rest of them are indifferent (30.5%) and disappointed (31.2%) Finally, the residents of Lesvos appeared to have the willingness ‘to participate in protests’ (54.3% of them), ‘to inform the mass media for the condition in MSW management of their region’ in a 38.6%, ‘to support a NGO in order to exert pressure on local authorities and government’ (30.7 % of them), ‘to pay for waste management’(18.6%), ‘to do nothing’ (17.1%) and ‘to move to another Greek region due to the environmental degradation’ (5.7% of them). 284 A. Kounani et al. Figure 15 The extend of Lesvians’ satisfaction towards the way the municipality collects MSW (see online version for colours) 3.3 Skyros Island’s results 3.3.1 Inhabitants’ environmental awareness Most of the participants (93.6%) appeared to worry about the environment of their region, whilst the 6.4 % of them was not perturbing and the 0.7 % did not worry at all. At the same time their beliefs towards the condition of the natural environment globally are depicted in Figure 16, in which 54.6% of them chose as their response ‘it is in a deteriorated environmental status which could still be reversed’. The participants’ perceptions towards the seriousness of some problems both at global level and country level are presented in Table 10, with most serious problem for the planet being ‘the nuclear weapons’ (Mean = 4.45) and for Greece ‘poverty, lack of food and water’ (Mean = 4.36), while at the same time they ranked sixth in their preferences the issue of refugee movement on a global base (Mean = 4.02) and seventh on a national one (Mean = 3.97). Figure 16 Inhabitants of Skyros beliefs about the condition of the natural environment globally (see online version for colours) 141 141 141 141 141 141 141 141 Armed conflicts Infectious disease Poverty, lack of food, water A serious economic crisis Illegal movement of refugees Climate change Overpopulation Valid N 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Max 3.87 3.99 4.02 4.05 4.33 4.34 4.34 4.45 Mean For the planet 1.07 1.09 1.06 0.96 1.02 0.99 0.96 0.9 SD Valid N Overpopulation Illegal movement of refugees Nuclear weapon Climate change Armed conflicts Infectious disease A serious economic crisis Poverty, lack of food, water Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. 141 Nuclear weapon Min 141 141 141 141 141 141 141 141 3.94 3.97 4.00 4.02 4.04 4.15 4.27 4.36 M For Greece 141 N SD 1.12 0.92 1.23 0.91 1.12 0.93 0.86 0.84 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Min 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Max Table 10 N Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents Skyros residents’ perceptions about how serious are the following problems on a scale 1 (not serious at all) to 5 (extremely serious) 285 141 Valid N (list wise) 4.04 4.05 4.26 4.27 4.29 4.32 4.38 4.44 0.97 0.97 0.83 0.80 0.94 0.85 0.75 0.82 SD For the planet 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Min 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Max Valid N (list wise) Environmental-climate refugees Endangered species Ozone depletion Climate change Increased solid waste Deforestation Air pollution Water pollution Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. 141 Environmental-climate refugees 141 Deforestation 141 141 Climate change 141 141 Increased solid waste Endangered species 141 Air pollution Ozone depletion 141 Water pollution M 141 141 141 141 141 141 141 141 N For Greece M 4.01 4.12 4.15 4.17 4.21 4.23 4.31 4.39 SD 1.04 0.97 0.94 0.94 0.81 0.81 0.82 0.77 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 Min 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Max Table 11 N 286 A. Kounani et al. Skyros residents’ aspects about the weightiness of the following environmental issues Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 287 In the sequel, they asked to express their opinion towards the weightiness of the some environmental challenges for the planet and for Greece, on a scale of 1 (not serious at all) to 5 (extremely serious), and their aspects are depicted in Table 11. Observing the table, it is noted that they stated as the most challenging environmental issue for the planet and the country ‘water pollution’ (Mean = 4.43 and Mean = 4.39, respectively), followed by ‘air pollution’ (Mean = 4.38 and Mean = 4.31, respectively). For Skyrians the issue of ‘environmental-climate refugees’ is the least challenging issue (Mean = 4.04 and Mean = 4.01, respectively) globally as well as at a country level. Also, their responses on the question how much they agreed with some statements, on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) are shown in Table 12, and the statement they strongly agreed with is that ‘when people intervene with nature, the consequences are often devastating’ (Mean = 4.27), followed by ‘if things continue in this way, we will soon experience an ecological disaster’ (Mean = 4.14). Table 12 Residents of Skyros standpoint on how much they agree with the following statements N M SD Min Max When people intervene in nature, the consequences are often devastating 141 4.27 0.91 1 5 If things continue this way, we will soon experience an ecological disaster 141 4.15 0.98 1 5 Earth has adequate natural resources, if we manage them properly 141 3.56 1.04 1 5 We are reaching the limit of humans who can live on Earth 141 3.47 0.96 1 5 Earth has limited space and natural resources 141 3.39 1.12 1 5 Science and technology could give the solution of any environmental problem 141 3.16 1.19 1 5 Humans could modify the environment according their needs 141 2.67 1.26 1 5 Value N 141 Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. 3.3.2 Skyros residents’ attitude towards waste management, recycling and management of ‘special wastes’ Concerning the management of MSW, the residents’ of Skyros Island were asked knowledge questions. Most of them (85.8%) appeared to be aware about ‘who collects the MSW of their region’. A 74.5% was knowledgeable on ‘where the collected waste is taken for its final disposal’, an 89.4 % about ‘what items can be recycled through the Blue Bin recycling in Greece’, an 88.7% about ‘where to find a blue bin to take recyclable household wastes’ and a 70.2% about ‘the consequences of ill treated solid wastes’. Additionally, most of them (90.1%) appeared to be worried about whether the final disposal of MSW is environmentally safe. Furthermore, their perceptions towards waste management of MSW are shown in Table 13. According to the aforementioned table, Skyrians in the mean of 4.68 found distracting to see garbage on the roads and coasts, while they thought that ‘it is wrong to dispose garbage on the road’ (Mean = 4.67/5). Also they do not seem to agree that ‘they are well-informed about the management of the wastes in the region they live’ (Mean = 2.51/5). Moreover, 51.8% of 288 A. Kounani et al. the participants recycled their wastes and a 51.1% responded that their family recycled as well. Their attitudes towards recycling are depicted in Table 14, and as it is noted for Skyrian inhabitants ‘reducing, reusing and recycling wastes boost the environmental preservation’ (Mean = 4.40/5) and ‘recycling contributes to the conservation of the environment’ (Mean = 4.38/5). Table 13 Skyros participants’ perceptions on MSW management I’ m bothered to see garbage on the roads and on coasts N M SD Min Max 141 4.68 0.52 3 5 It is wrong to dispose garbage on the roads 141 4.67 0.5 3 5 It is unsafe to dispose waste in places other than that of sanitary landfill 141 4.53 0.63 2 5 Overconsumption is the main cause for waste problem 141 3.81 0.85 1 5 Waste disposal is a big problem in my region 141 3.67 0.83 1 5 I have enough information for waste management in the region I live 141 2.51 0.97 1 5 Valid N Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. Table 14 Skyros inhabitants’ attitudes towards recycling N M SD Min Max By reducing, reusing and recycling waste we help the environmental preservation 141 4.40 0.70 3 5 Recycling contributes to the conservation of the environment 141 4.38 0.77 1 5 I have a positive attitude towards recycling 141 4.2 0.79 2 5 Most people that are important to me have positive attitude towards recycling 141 3.80 1.18 1 5 I have many opportunities to recycle 141 3.27 1.43 1 5 Recycling is better that reusing 141 3.26 1.12 1 5 I trust the municipality for recycling the waste 141 2.80 1.33 1 5 The energy demands for recycling overcomes its benefits 141 2.71 0.99 1 5 Recycling causes pollution too 141 2.43 1.02 1 5 Valid N Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum and Max = maximum. According Skyros participants’ perceptions on the issue of ‘special’ wastes that the regions receiving refugees are confronting are presented in Table 15. As it is observed they strongly agreed that ‘the inadequate special waste collection and disposal influences public health’ (M = 4.31) and then it affects the tourism (Μ = 4.25), while they seemed to ‘be aware about the waste management in regions receiving refugees’ (M = 2.51). Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents Table 15 289 Skyros residents’ attitudes towards ‘special wastes’ N M SD Min Max Inadequate ‘special wastes’ collection and disposal influences public health 141 4.31 0.68 3 5 Inadequate ‘special wastes’ collection and disposal influences tourism 141 4.25 0.90 0 5 The management of ‘special wastes’ is urgent 141 4.12 0.73 2 5 Recycling plants are needed to solve the ‘special wastes’ problem 141 4.06 0.78 1 5 Worry about the collection and disposal of ‘special wastes’ 141 3.93 0.79 2 5 More staff is needed for cleaning the coasts from ‘special wastes’ 141 3.90 0.75 2 5 The solution in refugee crisis will solve the problem of ‘special wastes’ 141 3.43 1.10 1 5 More sanitary landfills are needed in order to solve the problem of ‘special wastes’ 141 3.42 1.18 1 5 Using the process of combustion could solve the problem of ‘special wastes’ 141 2.65 1.28 1 5 Be aware of waste management in regions receiving refugees 141 2.51 1.27 1 5 Valid N Notes: N = sample size, M = mean, SD = standard deviation, Min = minimum, Max = maximum. Figure 17 Skyros residents’ extend of satisfaction on the way municipality collects MSW (see online version for colours) Their extent of satisfaction towards the way that the municipality collects the waste is presented in Figure 17, with only a 36.2% being satisfied and just a 0.7% strongly being satisfied. Finally, the residents of Skyros appeared to have the willingness ‘to participate in protests’ in a 45.4%, ‘to inform the mass media for the condition of MSW management in their region’ in a 41.8%, ‘to support a NGO in order to put pressure on local authorities and government’ in a 31.2%, ‘to pay for waste management’ in a 30.5%, ‘to do nothing’ in a 12.1% and ‘to move to another green region due to the environmental degradation’ in just a 7.8%. 290 A. Kounani et al. 3.4 Investigation of possible differences on the ‘total awareness on environmental issues’ and ‘total attitude towards recycling’ between the inhabitants of Lesvos and Skyros An independent sample t-test was conducted in order to compare the ‘total environmental awareness’ score for the residents of Lesvos Island and those of Skyros Island. There was a significant difference in scores for Skyros (M = 158.89, SD = 19.94) and Lesvos [M = 153.06, SD = 20.48; t (–2.417), p = 0.016] Islands. The magnitude of the differences in the means was small (ETA squared = 0.0205). There was not a significant difference in scores for Skyros (M = 33.81, SD = 4.86) and Lesvos (M = 34.60, SD = 4.32) Islands. 3.5 Investigation of possible differences on the ‘total attitude towards waste management’ between the inhabitants of Lesvos and Skyros In order to determine the ‘total attitude towards waste management’ of the inhabitants of each area (Lesvos and Skyros), a total score for the total attitude of all the variables that concerned the specific topic was measured. An independent sample t-test was conducted in order to compare the ‘total attitude towards waste management’ score for the residents of Lesvos Island and those of Skyros Island. There was not a significant difference in scores for Skyros (M = 19.21, SD = 2.00) and Lesvos (M = 19.88, SD = 4.92) Islands. 3.6 Investigation of possible differences on the ‘total attitude towards management of special wastes’ between the inhabitants of Lesvos and Skyros In order to determine the ‘total attitude towards management of special wastes’ of the inhabitants of each area (Lesvos and Skyros), a total score for the total attitude of all the variables that concerned the specific topic was calculated. An independent sample t-test was conducted in order to compare the ‘total attitude towards management of special wastes’ score for the residents of Lesvos Island and those of Skyros Island. There was not a significant difference in scores for Skyros (M = 37.00, SD = 6.71) and Lesvos (M = 37.72, SD = 4.74) Islands. 3.7 Correlation analysis The relationship between ‘total environmental awareness’, ‘total attitude towards waste management’, ‘total attitude towards recycling’ and ‘total attitude towards management of special wastes’, was investigated using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. There was a positive correlation between the four variables with high levels of ‘total attitude towards special waste management’ associated with high levels of ‘total environmental awareness’, ‘total attitude towards waste management’ and ‘total attitude towards recycling’. There was a small positive correlation between ‘total attitude towards recycling’ and ‘total environmental awareness’ [t = 0. 219, n = 281, p = 0.000]. There was a small positive correlation between ‘total environmental awareness’ and ‘total attitude towards waste management’ [t = 0.237, n = 281, p = 0.000]. Also, there was a small positive correlation between ‘total environmental awareness’ and ‘total attitude towards management of special wastes’ [t = 0.181, n = 281, p = 0.02]. There was a Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 291 moderate positive correlation between ‘total attitude towards recycling’ and ‘total attitude towards management of special wastes’ [t = 0.474, n = 281, p = 0.000]. 3.8 Multiple regression analysis A multiple regression analysis revealed a statistically significant effect of ‘total attitude towards recycling’ on ‘total attitude towards management of special wastes’ (R2 = 0.251, B = 0.424, t = 7.7, p < 0.0010), indicating a percentage 25.1% of the variance of the ‘total attitude towards management of special wastes’ being predicted by the ‘total attitude towards recycling’. 4 Discussion Studying the results of the conducted research, it is of best interest to address questions in groups, and then to make comparisons among them. 4.1 Total environmental awareness Concerning the general environmental issues the inhabitants of Lesvos face, as they reside in an area that is a receiving point of mass inflows of refugees, the most serious problem, that the planet is being confronted with is ‘poverty, lack of food and water’. Moreover, they appeared to think that ‘environmental climate refugees’ was the most serious environmental challenge that Greece is facing in our days. In contrary, concerning the general environmental issues the inhabitants of Skyros Island face, being an island that is not affected by the refugee crisis, the most serious problem that the planet is being confronted with is the ‘nuclear weapons’. Moreover they appeared to think that ‘water pollution’ was the most serious environmental challenge that Greece is facing .The issue of the ‘MSW management was reported as the 3rd one for Greece and the forth one for the globe. The aforementioned dissimilarities of estimations are obviously due to the fact that the inhabitants of the two islands have different experiences in their everyday life. As life experiences influence individuals’ environmental awareness (Skanavis, 2004; Torkar, 2014), the residents of Lesvos appeared to be more conscious regarding the refugee crisis affecting Greece. Moreover, the independent sample t-test conducted in order to compare the ‘total environmental awareness’ of the inhabitants of the two islands, it revealed that there was a significant difference in scores, with the inhabitants of Skyros appearing to be more environmentally aware. Skyros is a small island, multi-awarded for its environmentally friendly actions and the implementation of Skyros Project. This project, being a collaboration of the Aegean University and Skyros Port Authority has marked the responsible environmental behaviour of locals. So, most of the participants in this specific research may have participated in environmental activities or/and in environmental educational programs that were conducted at Skyros island. Several researchers have emphasised that environmental education experiences raise environmental awareness and motivate individuals to adopt environmentally responsible behaviour (Skanavis, 2004). 292 A. Kounani et al. 4.2 Attitude towards waste management, recycling and management of ‘special’ wastes Concerning waste management of their region both residents of Lesvos Island and residents of Skyros Island had a similar attitude, with only slight difference. For instance Lesvians appeared to be aware of who collects the MSW in their region, while 85.8% was the rate for Skyrians. Also 80.7% of Lesvians were enlightened on the place the collected MSW are transferred for final disposal, whilst 74.5% was the portion for Skyrians. Moreover, a 72.1% of Lesvos’ inhabitants were mindful of the negative effects of ill-treated solid waste, while the percentage for Skyrians was 70.2. The independent sample t-test that was conducted in order to compare the ‘total attitude towards waste management’ score for the residents of Lesvos Island and those of Skyros Island showed that there was not a significant difference in scores for the aforementioned islands. On the other hand, concerning the attitude towards recycling, the residents of Lesvos appeared to recycle in a 85% of and their families in a 82.9%, while the inhabitants of Skyros recycled in the 51.8% and their families in 51.1%. Lesvos Island is the area where the Department of Environment of the University of the Aegean, and specifically the Research Centre of Environmental Education and Communication is based, so Lesvians have had the opportunity to participate in educational campaigns towards recycling and waste management several times. An increase in this attitude is quite expected. In contrary with this difference the independent sample t-test, that was conducted, in order to compare the ‘total attitude towards recycling’ score for the residents of Lesvos Island and those of Skyros Island, indicated that there was not a significant difference in scores. Skyrians have positive attitude towards recycling but finally they do not recycle, a fact that probably is due to their lack of trust in the municipality. The recyclables in Skyros Island are supposed to be collected and transferred to the Greek mainland by the municipality, where the recycle centres exist. Therefore, as the transport of the recyclables to main land is costly, there are suspicions that they are not recycled but transferred to the landfill of Skyros along with the other wastes. Subsequently, although Skyrians are environmentally aware, the lack of confidence for the fate of their recycling efforts has inactivated them. Referring to the management of special wastes there is not a great variance between the responses of Lesvians and Skyrians, as it is observed when comparing Table 9 with Table 15. Lesvians appeared to be more indifferent concerning their satisfaction towards the waste collection by the municipality. Although Lesvians are civilians in a region that receives a great amount of refugees, they do not seem to be well informed about the situation that their municipality is being confronted with. Maybe if they knew the real extend of the problem they would be more active and more environmentally responsible as citizens. On the other hand Skyrians, who are citizens of an area that is not affected directly of the refugees’ arrivals, have similar to the Lesvians’ attitude and willingness to behave concerning the MSW and the special wastes management. 4.3 Correlation analysis Regarding the association between the four variables, it is revealed that high levels of ‘total attitude towards special wastes management’ are associated with high levels of ‘total environmental awareness’, ‘total attitude towards waste management’ and ‘total attitude towards recycling’. So, the higher the levels of the ‘environmental awareness’ of Waste management perceptions of Aegean Islands’ residents 293 an individual are, the more positive his/her attitude towards ‘special wastes management’, ‘waste management’ and ‘recycling’ are going to be. 4.4 Multiple regression analysis Multiple regression analysis revealed that the ‘total attitude towards management of special wastes’ is predicted by the ‘total attitude towards recycling’, which means that individuals supporting recycling would be the ones who also have a positive attitude towards the issue of ‘special wastes’ management. 4.5 Research limitations The participants of the survey were residents of the main areas of both islands, the port of Mytilene and the port and town of Skyros, where residents do come in contact with other cultures and are as a result more open-minded. This survey should be implemented into other areas of the islands as well. 5 Conclusions Greece, the main transit point for refugees who arrive on European shores, is among the countries that are less financially able to handle the influx. The biggest impact refugees have on waste production is because of their safety equipment: lifejackets, inflatable boats and belts. When it comes to solid waste, there is a large increase because of them staying many days into camps. Therefore, overpopulation of Lesvos Island is projected that it could cause significant environmental degradation. Currently the obvious impact of the advent of large refugee flows is the growing environmental degradation of the region, which will directly affect the tourism sector, the agricultural sector, as well as, the economic and the social one. The issue of MSW management as well as the management of ‘special wastes’ is of paramount importance in the areas of large migratory flows such as Lesvos. In any case MSW management is an issue of great importance in Greece. So managing MSW and ‘special wastes’ in a sustainable way is vital. Though the local authorities of Lesvos have made proposals to address the pressures caused by the large volumes of ‘special wastes’, no solution or practice has yet been implemented (Bletsa, 2014). The data of this research revealed that the residents of Lesvos Island are less environmentally aware than those of Skyros Island, while at the same time they indicate that there is little difference between Skyros and Lesvos with regard to respondents’ perception and awareness of municipal waste and the ‘special wastes’. It does not mean that the refugee crisis is not perceived as a contributing one, to the municipal wastes problem by the residents in Lesvos. It seemed that Lesvians are not well-informed about the extent of the problem that refugees’ inflows pose to the waste management of their region. The similarities of the two groups are not indicative of Greek culture, values and attitudes towards wastes. Lesvians seemed to be misinformed about the environmental degradation caused by refugee crisis on their region, since the Greek authorities do not successfully communicate the issues of waste management and ‘special wastes’ to public. Lesvos Island is the area where the Department of Environment of the University of the Aegean, and specifically the 294 A. Kounani et al. Research Centre of Environmental Education and Communication are located, so Lesvians are people who have had the opportunity to be exposed on educational campaigns towards recycling and waste management quite often. As Lesvians appeared to be unaware about the extent of the issue of special wastes and how it influences the environmental sustainability of their region, they did not seem to have augmented environmental consciousness, compared with regions that are not affected by mass refugee inflows. On the other hand, this research paper argues that the total environmental awareness of an individual is directly associated with their environmental attitude, and specifically in this case to their attitude towards waste management, recycling and special waste management. Consequently, raising environmental awareness of public could lead to increased positive attitude on the great issue of waste management. Furthermore, provided that public’s positive attitude towards recycling predicts the positive attitude to special wastes issue, by recycling more, residents at areas of concern could contribute positively to the solution of the issue of special wastes. Hence, creating training programs for Greek inhabitants in order to increase publics’ awareness and alter their attitude and behaviour into responsible environmental behaviour could develop the basis for the active participation of above mentioned locals in this significant environmental issue. The purpose of offering a specific educational program in host and non-host regions is to attempt to increase resilient and adapting communities. Furthermore, Greek civilians will learn how to cope with pressing situations, and specifically, those related to refugees’ settlements, in order to reduce their vulnerability and prevent their own deteriorating conditions. Survival skills will be taught for situations where natural resources are scarce. Consequently, Greek civilians will hopefully turn into active citizens who will eventually participate into actions that will contribute to the resilience of their region. Launching awareness campaigns to locals, enabling them to tackle environmental concerns and ethics, hygiene and proper applications, is an issue of tremendous importance. Citizens need to socially cope with arriving refugees in their country by taking part to projects, and allocating aid resources to providing appropriate help to those in need (Kherfan, 2016) while in return experiencing the beauty of assisting those who are in despair (Kounani and Skanavis, 2018a). 5.1 Implication for further research As this problem is continuously growing it would be interesting to implement the same survey into a region of the Greek mainland where refugees are resettled in order to evaluate their opinions and their attitudes towards significant environmental issues. It would be challenging to implement an educational program in order to raise their awareness, promote responsible environmental behaviour and active participation on the various environmental issues. 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