Photo: group photo of the representatives of the project partners on board of STOPPER floating event centre
On 28th of May 2026, stakeholders and river lovers gathered at STOPPER floating event centre in Budapest for the official closing conference of the Interreg Danube Aquatic Plastic project. Fittingly spending the day surrounded by the inspiring presence of the Danube itself, attendees reflected on the project’s critical mission: to reduce macro- and microplastic pollution while fostering research, data sharing, and joint action across the entire river basin. The General Directorate of Water Management (OVF) is a project partner (PP3) in Aquatic Plastic project, in cooperation with North Hungarian Water Directorate (ÉMVIZIG) and Middle Tisza District Water Directorate (KÖTIVIZIG).
The event celebrated the collaborative efforts of the AQPLA consortium-spanning ministries, companies, NGOs, universities, and water authorities. Throughout the project, this coalition has worked tirelessly to identify high-risk waste-leakage points and pioneer innovative solutions for waste extraction and recycling.
Photo: among the audience Dr. Zsófia Kovács (Surface Water Resources Management Specialist, OVF), Dr. Gábor Bordós (Business Unit and International Project Manager of Eurofins Hungary Ltd. representing OVF), Melinda Váci (International Referent Tisza Office, KÖTIVIZIG), Olivia Barta (International Referent, OVF) are present
What the River Taught Us: Insights from the Aquatic Plastic Journey
Dr. Attila David Molnar, Founder of the Plastic Cup Society outlined the creation of a comprehensive toolkit and Decision Support System to evaluate riverine litter management solutions across detection, collection, and prevention. He introduced the Aquatic Plastic Assessment Index (AQPLAI) to measure the pollution pressure and interception readiness of Hydropower Plants (HPPs), reframing them as active, essential interception nodes rather than just victims of pollution. Additionally, he strongly emphasised citizen science and the "Danube Riversavers Declaration" to foster sustainable, community-driven conservation across borders.
Understanding Riverine Microplastics: Integrated Findings
Dr. Gábor Bordós, Business Unit and International Project Manager of Eurofins Hungary Ltd. representing the General Directorate of Water Management (OVF), Dr. Gudrun Obersteiner, Senior Scientist of the University of Life Sciences and Natural Resources (BOKU) and Dr. Tine Bizjak, Professional Associate of the Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia (IZVRS) detailed a cross-country microplastic sampling campaign, finding that achieving full methodological standardisation is highly complex due to environmental variability and unequal technical capacities across the Danube Region. Consequently, the researchers concluded that establishing a minimum harmonised monitoring framework is a much more realistic and actionable goal. To support this, they developed an open-access database framework that ensures transparency by standardizing how metadata, sampling methods, and analytical results are reported by participating institutions.
After the presentations concluded, the winners of the Aquatic Plastic Podcast – The Challenge were officially awarded. Participants then had the opportunity to sign the Riversaver Declaration, before wrapping up the event with a visit to the Plastic Cup Society's exhibition and the Plastic Workroom (Mümü - Műanyag Műhely).
The event was part of the AQUATIC PLASTIC project, which is co-financed by the European Union and implemented with the financial contribution of partner countries and institutions under the Interreg Danube Region program.
The Hungarian partners participation in the project is co-financed by the Hungarian government.
Click here for more information on the project: AQUATIC PLASTIC
https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/aquatic-plastic
Danube Riversavers Declaration can be found here: Danube Riversavers Declaration
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tw2vAasrDYlwRBDbrVIsIx9Bz4hJTtnv/view
Text by Olivia Barta (International referent, OVF).
Photos by Plastic Cup Society – project lead partner.