Stemming the rising plastic tide: the teams competing to clean up Hungary’s rivers

We're often told we’re in an ecological race to save the planet. In Hungary, a group of volunteers have taken that idea to heart. Every few months they gather for the Plastic Cup (PET Kupa), a competition where teams go up against each other to collect as much junk as possible. 

“The name comes from the American Cup, the famous boat race, said PET Kupa’s Project Manager, Gergely Hankó, adding: “We thought gamification would be good for adults. We have a lot of volunteers. They are really, really amazing. We have the companies, the NGOs, and the decision-makers. Everybody is forming the team.”

The most recent Plastic Cup meeting was held on Hungary’s Lake Tisza and the Tisza River, the Danube’s longest tributary. What happens upstream can have a huge impact further down the river.

“It’s coming from the upstream countries, mostly Ukraine and Romania and some parts of Slovakia, but we’re not pointing to anybody. It’s [about] cooperation to solve the problem, so that’s why we are working in Transcarpathia to develop the waste management system.”

In addition to huge amounts of plastic, for instance bottles, volunteers frequently fish out metal cans, tyres, batteries and sometimes even fridges and televisions. 

Around 150 volunteers joined the latest clean-up, with one participant noting: “It’s always good fun, we’re making friends and having a blast while doing good.” 

Nearly half of Earth's surface waters are in river basins shared by at least two countries, These support around 40% of the world's population and account for 60% of global river flow. In the EU, Brussels has implemented frameworks like the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive to ensure sustainable management of shared resources.

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