The Aquatic Plastic project had a productive project partners’ meeting between 17th and 18th June, 2024 at BOKU River Lab in Vienna, where representatives of the participating organisations reviewed and assessed the progress of ongoing tasks and developed a strategy for future goals on how to reduce plastic pollution in the Danube River Basin.
The importance of collaborative efforts in the fight against plastic pollution was emphasized, providing detailed guidance on finances, progress on the work plan and the use of the JEMS platform for partner reporting. Participants were also briefed on the practical steps for submitting reports and updated on communication activities, including recent events, social media engagement and dissemination of official project materials.
The importance of training young people and NGOs, podcast production and organizing national roundtables were highlighted. Methodologies for microplastic sampling, data collection for riverine waste, and citizen science initiatives were also discussed, underscoring the comprehensive approach to addressing plastic pollution.
The meeting concluded with an overview of the project's results and a plan for the next steps, proving the AQPLA project's strong commitment to tackle plastic pollution through research and teamwork. Thanks were expressed to colleagues at BOKU for hosting the meeting.
The next project partners’ meetings are planned to be held in Bratislava, Slovakia (November 2024), Novi Sad, Serbia (Spring 2025) and Budapest, Hungary (Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026), reflecting the project's commitment to regional cooperation.