Aquatic Plastic (AQPLA) project, which received funding under the INTERREG Danube Region Programme, was launched on 1st January 2024 and involves thirteen organisations from nine countries cooperating over the next two and a half years. The project focuses on mapping micro- and macro plastic pollution in rivers, eliminating pollution sources, holding professional roundtable discussions and scientific presentations. The project builds on the experience of the Tid(y)Up project implemented between 2020 and 2022 to reduce plastic pollution in the Danube basin.
The project consortium has set the following objectives:
- solutions for cost-effective assessment of microplastic pollution in rivers,
- proposals for the treatment and recycling of large waste accumulations collected at hydroelectric power plants,
- development of software to monitor potential infiltration points,
- a proactive stakeholder group, the RiverSaver Participatory Platform to improve water quality in the Danube basin;
- and a policy advocacy package for the upcoming update of the Danube River Basin Management Plan to tackle river waste.
The project aims to achieve a significant improvement in river water quality by involving stakeholder groups to prevent the accumulation of riverine plastics together.
The multifaceted international partnership brings together a wide range of expertise, leading to the development of new solutions to address the challenges of plastic pollution in rivers.
The application of newly developed driftnets, microplastic pumps, remote sensing technologies and machine learning plays a crucial role in detecting and monitoring riverine litter particles. The creative application of the citizen science approach brings about active participation and engagement of communities and individuals in data collection and monitoring efforts.
AQPLA solutions reduce carbon emissions and environmental stress associated with conventional cleanup methods and also the separation of the collected waste is also facilitated. By incorporating recycling into the clean-up operations, AQPLA reduces the overall cost of climate change mitigation efforts while promoting a circular economy approach. Furthermore, AQPLA emphasizes the importance of raising awareness through activities such as River Clean-up tours.
This initiative engages individuals and communities in hands-on cleanup efforts, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility for protecting rivers.
The main objective of the AQUATIC PLASTIC project is to use our growing knowledge to significantly reduce riverine litter within water catchment areas like the Danube River Basin.
Further Information can be found here: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/aquatic-plastic
Project partners
- Plastic Cup Society – lead partner
- Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises (HAEE)
- General Directorate of Water Management, Hungary
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences BOKU, Austria
- Multisalva Association (Romania)
- Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia (Slovenia)
- Institute of Oceanology – Bulgarian Academy of Science
- Water Research Institute Bratislava (Slovakia)
- Mare Nostrum (Romania)
- Faculty of Tehnical Sciences Novi Sad (Serbia)
- Center for Ecotoxicological Research Podgorica (Montenegro)
- Ministry for Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism Directorate of Ecology and climate changes (Montenegro)
- Citizen association "Eko centar" Visegrad (Bosnia-Hercegovina)
Project duration: 2024.01.01. – 2026.06.30.
Total project budget: 2,2 millió EUR
Total EU funds: 1.7 millió EUR