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Fresh international legislative and environmental survey has been published on surface water quality based on the recommendations of Austrian, Slovakian, Hungarian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian organisations.

This niche document focuses on the waste phenomenon in the Danube and its tributaries, provides a comprehensive overview of the relevant sector-specific legislation and describes the competent organisations in each country. The aim of the study is to highlight possible inefficient regulatory practices, the organisational structures of the sectors concerned and, where possible, to make recommendations for improvement.

Figure 1 Waste Hierarchy It also aims to contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of the pollution problem in the Danube region. The authors of the document seek to find appropriate solutions to the challenges related to waste pollution in our rivers, including the recently widespread use of disposable protective equipment against COVID-19 and the resulting new waste flows. The report has sought to contribute to solving the waste problem in the Danube region and its tributaries through a coordinated, coherent, integrated and consistent approach by presenting an up-to-date legislative framework and list of good practices. The survey also focuses on the organisational structure and functioning of water management organisations, their communication channels and their cooperation with other environmental institutions and authorities. Waste and water management regulations also play a key role in the analysis, with partners looking at industrial and municipal waste collection systems and regulations, and at the problem of illegal dumping. The research has considered existing international legislation on water and the marine environment, including regional conventions and European directives.

The research will provide important data that will take a snapshot of the present moment, identify loopholes in legislation and promote best practice. The project partners' shared knowledge and approach will be considered at national and international (European and global) level. Based on the assessment carried out as a result of the survey, a Top 10 recommendations have been identified to improve the legal environment and good practices for tackling plastic pollution in the Danube region.

The specific regulatory and organisational solutions of the partners and the different practices in each country provide an interesting insight into the complexity of environmental aspects of littering on the waterways. Highlighting some specificities and problematic cornerstones, the following elements deserve particular attention.

On the basis of the evaluation, the authors made recommendations to improve the legal environment for combating plastic pollution in the Danube Region. These recommendations are presented according to the waste hierarchy. The main objectives of the legislative analysis and the recommendations below are to implement legislation to prevent illegal dumping more effectively, and to implement measures to facilitate the collection, transport and disposal of river waste while taking into account the potential environmental impacts of the intervention.

waste management performanceThe river basin management plans are an important tool for the transnational implementation of some of the proposals below and the Partnership is happy to discuss them in more detail if requested. 

Prevention measures

  1. Fostering compliance with existing legislation with a focus on preventing the release of macro and microplastics into the environment regarding the transposition of Directive (EU) 2019/904 on single-use plastics (e.g., extending plastic collection, recycling rates and producer responsibility, additional obligations in product design, banning plastic products, tightening reuse quotas, stricter penalties for improper disposal, etc.). Updating and improving sectoral policies to ban single-use plastics and introduce a deposit scheme for PET bottles to meet the EU's 90% collection target by 2029. Mandatory labelling of products designating the type of plastic to promote selective collection and recycling.
  1. Establish a legal framework for environmental violations, sanction mechanisms and instruments to identify, sanction and prevent illegal landfills. Restricting the release of microplastics and exploring the use of biodegradable plastics in product segments where releases to the environment cannot be avoided.

Removal of pollution and restoration of natural habitats

  1. Consideration of the environmental impact of the construction of permanent, large concrete structures that affect the flow and ecosystem of rivers. Instead of permanent structures, it is proposed to explore the possibility of modular temporary structures, which would only be used in rivers when plastic-filled floodwaters are present. It is recommended that a cost-benefit and environmental impact assessment be carried out before implementing physical barriers to contain plastic pollution.
  1. Existing best practices in waste collection and disposal should be disseminated, involving as many stakeholders as possible. Promoting best practices on cooperation between different organisations in the operation of such infrastructures is also key, as no one can tackle this problem alone. On the Tisza River, one of the most polluted tributaries of the Danube, special waste treatment points have been set up in cooperation between water authorities, NGOs and companies. These points will start operating in a quick response to the imminent plastic floods and will be able to remove hundreds of tonnes of organic and inorganic river waste. Water authorities are also working with NGOs such as the Plastic Cup initiative to target plastic deposits along the riverside.
  1. Establish a harmonised monitoring system for macro- and micro-pollution, including the standardisation of definitions and sampling, testing and assessment procedures.
  1. When building a new wastewater treatment plant or upgrading an existing one, it is important to ensure reliable, safe disposal and proper treatment of wastewater, including the removal and treatment of micro and macro-pollutants.

Legal consequences

  1. Establish an enforcement plan and cross-border monitoring system (early warning system) for river water pollution (plastic, municipal, hazardous, etc.). Facilitate transboundary cooperation that regards micro and macro plastic pollution in water as it is influencing the biological status of the water bodies. Camera surveillance systems can be a good solution, as cross-border pollution can be monitored more effectively and authorities have a better chance of timely preparation and proper remediation.
  1. To ensure adequate legal protection, water bodies (rivers, large lakes) and their natural values need better representation. By granting legal status to water bodies, these natural values and resources could be represented before public authorities and their legal status could help to better enforce environmental protection. A good example of how a river can be given rights is the Whanganui River in New Zealand, whose rights are based on 140 years of Moorish tradition.
  2. A clearer definition of responsibilities for the elimination of water pollution and the management of collected waste is essential. Who is responsible for collection, recycling or disposal? And who bears the costs? The waste collector, the Water Board, the municipality or the waste management service providers? Budgets and resources must be allocated to clean up pollution and manage waste.

Figure 2 Top 10 ProposalsAwareness-raising and dissemination

  1. Enhanced awareness-raising, education and communication campaigns involving stakeholders (decisionmakers, manufacturers, the general public, NGOs, etc.) and dissemination of methods, results and existing infrastructure (community compost points, reuse centers, repair network, recycling points, etc). For more details on the awareness-raising results of the project, please see the relevant Section of this Survey.

This publication was developed, written, edited and published in the framework of the INTERREG DTP

Tid(y)Up project, funded by the European Union Funds ERDF and IPA

Authors – Dr.Violin St.Raykov, Dr.Petya Ivanova, Dr.Ivelina Zlateva, Dr.Dimitar Dimitrov, Csaba Markó, Gergely Hankó, Krisztina Wégner, Miroslava Robinson, Katarína Hazuchová, Henrieta Kiraľvargová, Gudrun Obersteiner, Hidi Mária, Bokor Apró László

Contributors - Orsolya Keményffy, Emőke Takács, Péter Kovács, Dejan Ubavin, Ivana Mihajlovic, Maja Petrovic, Dusan Milovanovic, Veselin Bezanovic, Thomas Ladurner, Sabine Lenz, Johannes Mayerhofer, Attila Dávid Molnár, Miklós Gyalai-Korpos

Copyright - an open-source publication edited and published by the Institute of Oceanology, Bulgarian

Academy of Sciences (IO-BAS), Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises (HAEE)

Download the survey

PROJECT PARTNERS

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ASSOCIATED PARTNERS

Serbian Environmental Protection Agency (ASP1)

Global Water Partnership CEE (ASP2)

Slovak Water Management Enterprice (ASP3)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (ASP4)

North Hungarian Water Directorate (ASP5)

Upper Tisza Regional Water Directorate (ASP6)

International Comission for the Protection of the Danube River – ICPDR (ASP7)

State Scientific & Technical Centre for inter-sectorial & regional problems of the Environmental Safety and Resource Conservation (Centre "EcoResource”) (ASP8)

Public Organisation “Ecosphere” (ASP9)

Danube River Basin Directorate (DRBD) (ASP10)

Satu Mare County Administrative-Territorial Unit

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e-mail: kszgysz(at)kszgysz.hu

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