(Techno-)geographies of waste: tools of rising awareness on waste culture and landscape aesthetics

Waste and landscape as semantics are perceived in different ways, depending on societies and cultures (Hawkins & Muecke, 2003). Both natural and cultivated landscape are either being neglected or embraced by the humans living in it (Kimmerer, 2020; De la Bellacasa, 2017). For example, Greek landscape is often informally "enriched" with various types and scales of waste. In Greece, waste that can neither be avoided nor is subject to reuse, recycling and/ or energy recovery is still ending up either at sanitary or non-sanitary landfills, which are being operated by public services, or at informal open dump sites that still exist and seek to be restored. However, ideally, waste disposal should be reduced as much as possible in order to prevent the damage of nature caused by anthropogenic actions (1999/31/EC, Article 5/5). Even if Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a small percentage at the overall waste production, it is necessary to explain citizens, and even more important children and adolescents, the complete waste management process with its forthcoming problems. The youngest generations always played and still play an essential role for the future of societies and they are therefore the target group of this project. Taking into consideration that nowadays the principles of circular economy (avoidance, prevention, reuse, recycle) are promoted, this essay presents a guideline toolbox for the designing of actions for environmental education to the young generation on the integrated topics of landscape and waste, as well as waste in landscape, based on actions for a qualitative research approach. What does the young generation in Greece know about waste, landscape and landfilling? What is there understanding of landscape and landfill? What are the problems of this "combination" and why is it important to be aware of it? How to explain them and how is it possible to find out what they have learned after the activity? How can they contribute to a solution in the circular economy of waste (management), landfilling and landscape?