Plastic Dominates
Europe's Rivers
In all 13 countries, plastic was the most common litter type found along riverbanks and in the water.
Young scientists collected and categorised every item they found โ from bottle caps and food packaging to cigarette filters and glass fragments. Across every country, plastic emerged as the dominant material, often accounting for more than a third of all litter by item count.
In Hungary, Spain and Bulgaria: over 90% of plastic items were single-use plastics
Where Plastic
Pollution Is Highest
Total Plastic Collected per Country (kg) ยท 2022โ2024
Portugal recorded the highest average plastic weight per sampling
Spain collected over 11,000 single-use plastic items
Who Leaves
the Litter?
Sampling groups estimated the likely sources of litter they found
Recreational visitors were the most commonly suspected source across all 13 countries
National Result Posters
Download the national result posters presented at the Plastic Pirates Summit 2024
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Lithuania
Portugal
Slovenia
Spain
From Germany to Europe
Plastic Pirates launched in Germany by Kiel Science Factory
15,000+ young people participate across all 16 German states
European expansion โ 9 countries join the campaign
13 countries ยท 25,000+ participants ยท 390+ rivers mapped
Data covers sampling campaigns from autumn 2022 to autumn 2024. Scientific analysis is ongoing. All verified datasets are publicly available on Zenodo under open licences.
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See exactly where groups have sampled across Europe
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