Targetingthe REductionof plASticoUtflowinto the noRthsEa

TREASURE reduces plastic waste in the North Sea through transnational cooperation

In TREASURE, 15 partners from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France are working together to tackle the problem of plastic pollution in the North Sea. It is assumed that a significant proportion of plastic waste ends up in the sea via rivers and therefore poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. Under the leadership of the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research at the University of Oldenburg, the project aims to reduce the discharge of plastic waste from rivers and inland waters into the North Sea.

An integrated cross-sectoral approach to identifying, eliminating and reducing this river waste should thus make an important contribution to solving the plastic problem.

The project addresses four interlinked dimensions:

1. Governance and policy - improving cross-sectoral governance for effective cooperation and joint action among stakeholders in functional areas and water systems (river basins, estuaries, agglomerations, ...). Improve policy at different levels (local, regional, (trans)national) for effective waste prevention in rivers by combining (binding) legislation and informal policy frameworks.
   
2. Data collection and analysis - data collection and analysis using various proven and new methods with the aim of increasing knowledge about the type, composition and sources of waste and comparing and harmonising approaches.
   
3. Prevention and behaviour change - raising awareness and educating specific target groups in business (e.g. tourism), government (municipalities, regions) and the general public about the need and opportunities to reduce plastic pollution in their respective capacities and processes.
   
4. Plastic litter removal - applying different techniques to remove litter from rivers to gain insights into the effectiveness of different solutions under different conditions (e.g. environment or type of pollution).

These four dimensions will be addressed in 5 regional real-world laboratories representing different areas typical for the North Sea region (e.g. estuary, urban water system, harbour, coast, inland waters). Each real-world laboratory aims at a combination of waste management techniques, data collection, prevention measures and policy strategies. The aim is to develop robust, practice-orientated solutions for all four dimensions.

Watch a short animated video about TREASURE and its goalsHERE!