Cigarette butts are the biggest culprit when it comes to plastic pollution of water in the province of Groningen. This is evident from the final report of the Stop plastic from City to Wad project.
At least 1,200 kilograms of plastic ends up in the Groningen canals every year, the Delft company Noria calculates. Some of this drifts to the Wadden Sea. Noria started the Stop plastic from City to Wad project three years ago.
Preventing plastic from reaching the Wadden Sea
In the project, plastic in the water was monitored using cameras and field research, for example. Capture installations, including a CirCleaner, were installed at two locations in the Eemskanaal. The aim is to prevent plastic from ending up in the Wadden Sea. The plastic is very harmful to birds and fish.
With plastic films and packaging (chip or candy bags) as a close second and third, the cigarette butt is the most common pollutant. In a two-week period in the summer, almost 500 butts were fished out of the water; the cigarette filter contains plastic.
Stray waste reaches the sea mainly from urban areas, such as Groningen. Noria’s project initially focused on the Reitdiep and the Eemskanaal. Due to the prevailing wind direction and current, it has become apparent that plastic from the city mainly travels via the Eemskanaal to the Wadden Sea.
The seasons also influence the amount of plastic in the water. In spring and summer, when terraces and parks are busy, more plastic floats in the water than in winter.
A lot of plastic gets stuck along the way
Noria shows that the waste that ends up in the water in the city of Groningen does not all end up in the Wadden Sea. “Some objects remain stuck between houseboats, in plants along the water or between rubble stones,” says Arnoud van der Vaart of Noria. “It can also sink to the bottom or, because it becomes micro-plastic, it is no longer visible.”
This does not mean that this plastic does not cause damage. Plastic that remains in the water for a long time breaks down and can still end up in the stomachs of birds or fish. Noria has found a significant amount of micro-plastic in Groningen water in recent years. “And plastic that sinks to the bottom can go to the sea via bottom transport.”
Cleaning up and collecting
In the report, Noria concludes that there are effective ways to clean up urban plastic. Removing plastic around houseboats more often is the first. Deploying catching locations in two places is another. An installation at the Borg Bridge that connects the Rijksweg with the Hoofdweg near Lewenborg is a good place. The second is at the Old Sea Lock in Delfzijl.
A lot of plastic also ends up in the water from the industrial area near Delfzijl. Van der Vaart: “You can remove the largest amount of waste from the water around the houseboats and at the Borg Bridge. Delfzijl is in fact the last option to prevent plastic from reaching the Wadden Sea.”
The advantage of the location in Delfzijl is that the waterway can be used for capture over the entire width.
European rules against plastic in cigarettes
Capture installations at these locations can prevent a lot of damage, says Van der Vaart. “You would prefer to use them for as short a time as possible. After all, it is better to prevent plastic from ending up in the water.”
New regulations can help a lot, as can awareness. For example, among smokers. “You see a lot of kicking out a cigarette on the ground. The addition of plastic to the filters is harmful to the environment. A cigarette butt should go in a waste bin. The best thing would be if there was a European ban on plastic in cigarette filters.”
Tags: kilos plastic Groningens canals year Cigarette butts biggest culprit
