About 35% of the objects scattered in 12 Italian rivers are made of single-use plastic. This is the conclusion that can be drawn from the results of a 12-month monitoring activity - conducted in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Foundation and Nauta srl - of floating macro waste larger than 2.5 cm on twelve Italian rivers: Adige, Agri, Magra, Misa, Neto, Ombrone, Pescara, Po, Reno, Sarno, Simeto, and Tevere. The preliminary results presented today at ISPRA indicate that urban settlements are the primary contributors to the presence of refuse in river environments. The activity is part of an Operating Agreement between the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and ISPRA in the context of monitoring for the Framework Directive on Marine Strategy, and it aims to increase knowledge on the origin and methods of arrival of waste at sea, enriching ISPRA's experience gained in 8 years of monitoring river waste at the Tiber's mouth. In accordance with a standardized research protocol, data on the conveyance of macro litter by rivers were collected from fixed positions on bridges near the mouth of the river for a period of one year. The dynamics of object movement in rivers prior to their arrival at sea were also researched, with GPS trackers put in containers that replicate the behavior of floating plastics transported by water sensing the path and average speed.
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