Litter is one of the most broadly spread environmental pressures in marine environments, receiving increasing publicity and causing a lot of concern. Marine litter consists mainly of plastic items in the Central Baltic region.
The BLASTIC project aims at reducing plastic waste and thereby hazardous substances inflow into the Baltic Sea by mapping and monitoring amounts of litter in the aquatic environment.
BLASTIC project demonstrates how plastic waste in urban areas finds its ways to the Baltic Sea and becomes marine litter. Land-based sources count for most of the marine litter while rivers are major pathways feeding the sea with litter. In practice the project takes regional and national strategies into use on a local level and also produces updated local action plans. The project also provides a methodology for mapping the most important sources and pathways of marine plastic litter and monitoring litter in rivers and coastal waters/areas. As a result the project compiles a list of sources and pathways with recommendations that are closely linked to resource efficiency in waste and water sector. The methodology is implemented in 3-4 urban areas and the concept is further promoted in other areas.
As a result of the project the amount and inflow of plastic marine litter and hazardous substances are reduced in the Central Baltic area and the Baltic Sea. The outcomes that lead to overall result are real data and a new methodology that suit the pilot areas as well as general guidelines with list of identified and prioritized sources with focus on plastic waste and urban areas. This project is built to expand after the project is completed, which provides conditions that ultimately contribute to the reduced hazardous substances and toxins’ inflow into the Baltic Sea.
BLASTIC 2016-2018 is financed from The Central Baltic Programme 2014-2020. The total budget of the project is 1 016 555,50 euros of which ERDF is 784 522,46 euros.
Link to the BLASTIC website
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