Aquatic Plastic Podcast #14

Novi Sad, Serbia – During the latest partner meeting of the Interreg Danube Region Programme project Aquatic Plastic, project partners from across the Danube basin gathered to discuss progress, exchange experiences, and shape the next steps in tackling aquatic plastic pollution.

Between workshops and working sessions, podcast hosts Gary Hanko, Attila David Molnar and Sara Bohm sat down with several project partners for a series of informal interviews, capturing the human stories behind the project.

Uroš Robič from the Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia shared one of the most unusual personal stories within the Aquatic Plastic project. After graduating, he struggled to find a job in his field and ended up working as a garbage collector. The experience gave him a unique perspective on waste and society, as he realised how much people's rubbish reveals about their lifestyles and habits. This unconventional path inspired him to create the documentary Plastic Fantastic and eventually led him to environmental work. Today, he contributes his expertise in marine and river litter monitoring while promoting international cooperation in tackling aquatic plastic pollution.

Among the guests was Marian Paiu, Executive Director of Mare Nostrum, Romania, who shared insights from more than three decades of coastal and marine litter monitoring and highlighted the importance of community engagement, education, and advocacy in addressing plastic pollution.

The podcast also featured Elisabeth Mayerhofer from BOKU University, Austria, who discussed the project's scientific work on harmonising methodologies and collecting much-needed data on microplastics in rivers. She emphasised that the project is only the beginning of a much larger effort to understand and reduce microplastic pollution across Europe.

Another conversation with Orsolya Kemenyffy focused on the project's policy dimension and the concept of “Blue Lobby” – transforming local experiences and stakeholder input into recommendations for policymakers and creating lasting change through international cooperation.

Marko Nikolić from the Centre for Ecotoxicological Research (CETI), Montenegro highlighted that the project has enabled CETI to investigate microplastic pollution in Montenegrin rivers, acquire essential laboratory equipment, and connect with experts from across the region. For him, one of the greatest benefits of the project has been the opportunity to collaborate with an open and highly motivated international team.

The special podcast episode, recorded in Novi Sad, offers listeners a unique opportunity to meet the people driving the Aquatic Plastic project and to discover how international collaboration can turn scientific knowledge into real-world action against plastic pollution.

Aquatic Plastic is brought to you by the Interreg Danube Region Programme, co-funded by the European Union. Operating within the world's most international river basin, the Aquatic Plastic Danube-Region Interreg project unites 33 organizations spanning 10 countries. Together, we are executing 19 pilot actions and developing 8 solutions aimed at preventing, reducing, and managing plastic pollution in the natural waterways of the Danube River Basin. How do we navigate through such diverse borders? Explore further by delving into our report, and begin following our journey on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.