1. Investigating the knowledge and attitude of the Greek public towards marine plastic pollution and the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive
- Author
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Fabienne McLellan, Rahel Beck, Zoi Mylona, Anna Maria Addamo, Anastasia Charitou, and Roxani Naasan Aga-Spyridopoulou
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Microplastics ,Environmental attitudes ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Context (language use) ,010501 environmental sciences ,Aquatic Science ,Marine pollution ,Oceanography ,Single-use plastics ,01 natural sciences ,Willingness to pay ,Political science ,Humans ,Environmental planning ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,media_common ,Greece ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Public consultation ,Directive ,Pollution ,Attitude ,Plastic pollution ,Environmental Pollution ,Publicity ,Plastics ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Environmental Monitoring ,Environmental knowledge - Abstract
This study investigates the knowledge and attitudes of the Greek public towards marine plastic pollution and the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive by interpreting the results of a questionnaire. In Greece, the issue of marine plastic pollution has been highlighted by scientists. Public consultation processes about the implementation of the Directive into the national law have been also carried out. However, the results of our study showed that participants were not informed about the issue of marine plastic pollution nor the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive. Nevertheless, they expressed positive attitudes towards it including their willingness to pay and act in order to reduce their plastic waste. Thereby, it is recommended that more initiatives should support the publicity of the Directive so that the Greek public would be able to participating in the decision-making process and support its implementation. In addition, the current study suggests that the topic of microplastics should be integrated into the context of formal education.
- Published
- 2021