About the project
Marine littering is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time and plastic is one of the most common types of garbage in the sea. Microplastics are plastic particles that are smaller than 5 mm in size. One problem with our knowledge about microplastics is that today there is no standard for measuring, sampling and analyzing microplastics in different forms, which makes it difficult to compare results. Without reliable analytical methods, the amount of plastic in the environment can not be determined, which means that it is not possible to determine which source is most important and what impact they have.
About the project
• Partner organizations in eight countries with coast to the Baltic sea – Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia.
• Total budget of the project is 2 968 068,80 euro with financial support by the EU Interreg program.
• Project period is from January 1st 2019 to June 30th 2021 (prolonged to 31st December 2021).
What we will do
• Increase the knowledge of where microplastics come from and their transport pathways
• evaluate the technology that can reduce microplastic or reduce microplastic leakage before reaching watercourses,
• increase knowledge and commitment of decision makers through suggestions on how to implement cost-effective methods to reduce microplastics.
How we will do it
1. A model to map, understand and visualize microplastic pathways that will be applied to the partners’ cities/regions.
2. Piloting of new technology i) for filtering away microplastics; ii) sustainable drainage solutions as means for removal of microplastics; and iii) to remove microplastics from stormwater.
3. Defining innovative governance frameworks and engaging a large range of players for implementation of coordinated and cost-efficient measures resulting in locally adapted investment proposals/plans for each partner’s region.
4. Dissemination of project results, including reports on barriers and ways forward, to increase institutional capacity on up-stream and problem-targeted methods to remove microplastics.