Moving Up the EU Waste Hierarchy in Remote Area: Exploring the Case of Lesvos Island, Greece

The main purpose of this research is to contribute to sustainable waste management in remote areas of the European Union (EU) by specifically employing the concept of ‘waste hierarchy’ as a mean to reach this goal. The last three decades see the EU waste management approach evolve from pollution control (disposal/end-of-pipe) toward more strategic approach focusing on waste prevention and recycling. This evolution has been instrumental for many Member States’ waste policy transformation notwithstanding; many remote areas of the EU are still lag behind in their waste management situation. Lesvos Island of Greece is one such areas still dealing with numerous dumpsites scattering around the island, anticipating a single central landfill, and having no formal recycling system - therefore chosen as a case study. To learn how to improve this situation, relationship between the EU policy implications and factors which condition waste management in the remote/rural Island was investigated. The factors were explored through in-depth interviews with stakeholders, chosen by triangulation method, representing local government authorities, academics, and civil society. The research has confirmed that transposition of the EU waste Directives into the Greek national policy does not imply effective implementation; its implications on the local waste policy and implementation in Lesvos are very limited. Factors influencing the current local waste policy agenda have been identified. This includes: keep to conventional perception of waste management, low pressures from citizens and from regulation obligations, lack of willingness to change, and limited resources and funding. However, the current situation of uncontrolled dumpsites, growing amount of waste, opposition to construct more landfill, and high cost of waste transport (characteristic of remote areas and islands) suggest that Lesvos needs more sustainable alternatives for waste management. The research has concluded that the Island should pursue a more holistic approach to waste management, considering socioeconomic and environmental benefits that waste management can contribute to its sustainable development. Correspondingly, community source-separation, recycling, and composting are proposed as they may contribute to the Island’s energy and resources independency. Moreover, some voluntary recycling initiatives/systems run by private companies and local NGO exist in Lesvos. It is therefore wise to maximize these systems in order to increase the resource-use efficiency. Furthermore, recycling of some specific waste streams (e.g. packaging waste) which have low material prices can not be economically viable for the remote Island where costs of energy and transportation are high. Since these waste streams are regulated by relevant EU Directives and having established national (collective or individual producers responsibility) systems for their alternative management; involvement (e.g. financial support) from the national systems will be instrumental in their recycling in Lesvos as well as other remote areas of the EU. Key