Aquatic Plastic - the launch of a new Interreg Danube Region Programme

The international delegation, led by Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, visited the Plastic Cup Society on the shore of the river Danube in Budapest

This week the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius paid a visit to the mobile Riversaver Center and Safe Water Access Point of the Plastic Cup Society. The water purification center, recently introduced to the general public, was built in the framework of the Zero Waste Tisza project, and will soon leave to Ukraine, Transcarpathia where safe drinking water is a major environmental and humanitarian issue. The EU Commissioner was accompanied by Anikó Raisz, Secretary of State for Environmental Affairs and the Circular Economy, Ministry of Energy, Hungary. On the agenda of the visit, was the Riversaver kayak, produced from recycled riverine litter, and a big gulp of clean fresh water - purified from the Danube river, flowing just a few meters away. Gergely Hankó, managing director of the Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises presented the results of the recently completed Danube Transnational Programme Tid(y)Up, after which Dávid Attila Molnár, chairman of the Plastic Cup Society gave insights into a newly launched Interreg Danube Region Programme: Aquatic Plastic. 

The multinational and multicultural population of the Danube River Basin is a rich source of inspiration for many of the novelties and innovations within Aquatic Plastic (AQPLA). The diverse partnership brings together a wide range of expertise, resulting in the development of new solutions to address the challenges of riverine plastic pollution. 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.

The adoption of a collaborative working methodology fosters cooperation among stakeholders, organizations, and sectors, so that we can pool our knowledge, resources, and experiences to develop comprehensive and holistic solutions. The development, testing and implementation of environmentally friendly riverine litter traps make a better use of the natural power of the river current. AQPLA solutions reduce carbon emissions and environmental stress associated with conventional cleanup methods. AQPLA's solutions also facilitate the separation of the collected waste. By incorporating recycling into the cleanup operations, AQPLA reduces the overall costs of mitigation efforts while promoting a circular economy approach. 

AQPLA’s lead partner, the Plastic Cup Society (HU) will coordinate the joint efforts of 32 organisations in the Danube region, including the Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises (HAEE), the General Directorate of Water Management (OVF), the University of Natural Resources and Life Science Vienna (BOKU), Multisalva Association (RO), the Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia (IWRS), the Institute of Oceanology - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IO-BAS), the Water Research Institute Bratislava (VUVH), the Mare Nostrum Society (RO), the Faculty of Technical Sciences Novi Sad Serbia (UNS), the Center for Ecotoxicological Research Podgorica (CETI), the Ministry for Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism Directorate of Ecology and climate changes (MESPU), the Citizen association "Eko centar" Visegrad (BA).

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