Plastics from packaging and single-use wipes are the most common pollutants in rivers according to the "Plastic Pirates" project”

This is the third year that various schools have participated in the "Plastic Pirates" citizen science project, which has been studying pollutants in rivers since it was launched in 2021, and which is coordinated by the BETA Technology Center at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC). Nearly 1,250 young people from 32 schools and youth associations in Spain participated this spring, taking samples from various rivers in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and Castile and Leon. According to the results of this year's study, and as in previous years, plastics from packaging and single-use sanitary napkins are the most common types of waste.

Areas surrounding cities and industrial areas are the areas of the river with the highest levels of waste. In Catalonia, the most plastic waste was found in the river Besós (at Granollers) and in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, and in Castile and León, in Miranda de Ebro. Plastics were reported to be the biggest pollutant, followed by paper, metal, glass, cigarettes and food. In Catalonia, the law relating to the reduction of the impact of plastic products on the environment was amended in 2019, and levels of plastic waste in rivers are therefore expected to decline. 

Pollution in river ecosystems - a field of limited study

The BETA Technological Center at UVic-UCC, the University of Burgos (UBU) and the Oxígeno Foundation, in partnership with the collaboration of the Institute of Environmental Diagnostics and Water Studies - Spanish National Research Council, organised this European citizen science project for young people in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and Castile and Leon. The researchers at the CT BETA and the University of Burgos collect and review the data obtained by the schools, and add them to the database on plastic waste in Europe. The young people use special materials, such as a sampling kit and a protocol, and apply standardised scientific techniques to determine the presence and types of floating debris on the banks of rivers and streams.

 
"Waste accumulates in seas and oceans year after year, where it interferes with the development of marine species and the functioning of the ecosystem," explains Meritxell Abril, a researcher at the BETA Technology Center and a member of the "Plastic Pirates" project in Spain. Abril explains that  "several studies have shown that plastic bags can be death traps for birds and sea turtles," for example. Plastic pollution has been extensively studied in marine ecosystems, but only to a limited extent in river ecosystems. Few studies have been carried out on the presence of plastic waste in rivers and the role of rivers in their journey to the sea. In addition to contributing to research on plastic waste in European rivers, this project therefore teaches young people to use the scientific method and raises their awareness of this environmental problem.

"Young people, who are a driving force for change, become aware of this problem through this citizen science project. They also become aware of the environment immediately around them, and with the scientific community, they also play an active part, in producing the scientific knowledge that helps to solve it," according to Patricia de la Fuente and Antonio Canepa, researchers at the UBU and members of the "Plastic Pirates" project in Spain.

The "Plastic Pirates" project was launched in Germany in 2016, and is aimed at young people in various schools, associations and groups all over Europe. In addition to Spain, other countries participating are Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovakia, France, Greece, Hungary, Holland, Italy, Lithuania and Portugal, and it is one of today's largest citizen science networks aimed at young people. This project receives funding from the European Commission - Horizon Europe as part of the "Mission  to restore our ocean and our waters by 2030", and is undertaken in partnership with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) - Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

The BETA Technological Center at UVic-UCC: a European benchmark in sustainability

The CT BETA was established in 2014 to give impetus to research undertaken in the field of environmental technologies and the circular bioeconomy at UVic-UCC. In its almost ten years of history, it has become a key player in technological development, improving the competitiveness and quality of life of rural societies, with a particular focus on the food and agriculture sector.

The BETA Technological Center has also become a pioneer in the integration of environmental, economic and social sustainability in industry, and has developed the ability to have a direct influence on all levels of government to support the development of environmental policies based on scientific evidence.