Danube River transports more than 90 tons of microplastic and macroplastic annually in Romania

The Romanian sector of the Danube annually transports, on average, 48.5 tons of microplastic (MiPs) and 48 tons of macroplastic (MaPs), according to the results of a study by the MaiMultVerde Association, published on Wednesday.According to the document, the highest annual transport yields were for the Moldova Veche sampling station (south-west), respectively between 93 and 100 tons of plastic material annually, of which 46-51 tons/year micro, 47-49 tons/year macro. Also, in Gruia and Isaccea stations, the annual transport is approximately 3-4 times lower.Specialists say that macroplastic particles (with dimensions between 5 mm - 2.5 cm) grind over time under the influence of organic materials in the water and turn into microplastic.Cellulose fragments and fibers were discovered in the Isaccea station (in summer) and Moldova Veche, and polyurethane (PUR) was identified isolated in the Isaccea station, in the winter season. In addition, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) was observed in the plastic collected in Moldova Veche, in the autumn season.The study was carried out during five seasons, during the spring - winter of 2022 and the spring of 2023, in three sections, on the Romanian route of the Danube, monitored by the meteorological stations of the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (INHGA): Moldova Veche (km 23 after entering Romanian territory), Gruia (downstream of Portile de Fier II) and Isaccea (after the last tributary - the Prut river, before the Danube Delta).The MaiMultVerde Association, together with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, organized on Wednesday a press conference dedicated to the Congress of the Danube People - the 2nd edition, an event in which conclusions of meeting with the local authorities along the Danube, on the topic of waste management, were presented in order to reduce river pollution.