Initiating bottom-up management solutions to reduce plastic waste in the Danube Basin – Aquatic Plastic

About 80% of all marine litter reaches the sea from land-based sources, transported by rivers, and
the Danube River Basin is no exception. Plastics, which were once perceived as non-degradable,
actually break down into microplastic particles when exposed to sunlight and fluctuating
temperatures. This realization has prompted a heightened focus on addressing microplastic
pollution in rivers.
The AQUATIC PLASTIC (AQPLA) project’s aim is to provide a thorough database and methodology to
map riverine plastic waste, using artificial barriers, such as Hydroelectric Power Plants (HPPs) and
remote sensing technologies as tools to measure, monitor and divert riverine plastic waste
accumulations from nature to landfills or rather back in the loop.
The project also plans on identifying high risk waste leakage points via remote sensing methods and
to find innovative solutions for large scale extraction and recycling of riverine litter and waste
accumulated in front of HPPs.
AQPLA focuses on developing comparative monitoring methods to assess the overall size, volume,
and combined mass of floating riverine litter accumulations. By providing reliable and user-friendly
methods to estimate the size and composition of waste accumulations in rivers, AQPLA offers an
additional tool for managing artificial water engineering structures. This helps estimate the costs of
mitigation and river cleanup interventions more accurately. Additionally, AQPLA aims to assist the
water sector by offering low-cost, high-efficiency professional river cleanup technologies. These
technologies not only halt pollution waves but also utilize the renewable energy of the river's flow to
separate riverine litter, thereby reducing the overall costs of cleanup operations.
Pilot river cleanup activities will be organised in downstream countries, in the Sava Basin to
spread the successful approach of river cleanup actions and prevention efforts in upstream
countries of the Danube Basin.
The project focuses on the following 4 areas:
? Microplastics: creating and testing cost-effective monitoring methods to detect microplastic
pollution in fluvial systems enabling data comparison and collaboration among different entities
across borders.
? Macroplastics: testing remote sensing monitoring and quantification methods for riverine
waste accumulations to help the early detection of plastic flood events and environmental
catastrophes; Aiding HPPs manage large riverine litter accumulations by providing guidance
on monitoring and extraction while also making waste extraction profitable through game
changing recycling protocols for intercepted and selected riverine plastics.
? On-field commitment: organising various type of pilot cleanup actions at high-risk leakage
points and hotspots identified by remote sensing technologies including small scale (for
inclusion of locals) and large, industrial-scale cleanups at landfills and dumps – where
authorities will be notified to join and discuss possible ways of restoration.
? Dissemination and capacity building: by engaging stakeholders in data collection,
methodology testing and cleanup pilot actions the solutions above can serve as valuable
evidence for policymakers, while also expanding the transnational RiverSaver community
trough field-based trainings and interactive roundtable events to establish their strong
commitment.
The Partnership
The AQUATIC PLASTIC consortium consists of 13 partners and 19 associated partners from 10
countries, representing a diverse range of stakeholders dedicated to address plastic pollution in the
DRB. The consortium includes ministries responsible for legislative matters, NGOs actively involved
in field activities, universities committed to scientific research, water authorities, national
laboratories and public research institutions engaged in water quality monitoring and preservation.

• University of Life Sciences and Natural Resources, Vienna, Austria
• Institute of Oceanology - BAS, Bulgaria
• Udruženje građana „Eko centar“ Višegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Plastic Cup Society (Lead Partner), Hungary
• Association of Environmental Enterprises, Hungary
• General Directorate of Water Management, Hungary
• Centar za ekotoksikološka istraživanja Podgorica, Montenegro
• Ministarstvo za ekologiju, prostorno planiranje i urbanizam Uprava za ekologiju i klimatske promene, Montenegro
• Multisalva Association, Romania
• Mare Nostrum, Romania
• Fakultet tehničkih nauka Novi Sad, Serbia
• Institut za vode Republike Slovenije, Slovenia
• Water Research Institute Slovakia, Slovakia

https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/aquatic-plastic

Period of realization: 2024 – 2026
ID:0200235