“Baltic Approaches to Handling Plastic Pollution under a Circular Economy Context”, BALTIPLAST, Nr. #C021

Project name:

“Baltic Approaches to Handling Plastic Pollution under a Circular Economy Context”

BALTIPLAST / nr.#C021

Interreg Baltic Sea Region 2021-2027 Programme, Priority 3: Climate-neutral societies

https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/baltiplast/

Lead partner:

Partners:

Associated Organisations

1. Daugavpils University, Latvia
2. The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, District of Bergedorf, Germany
3. Stadtreinigung Hamburg, Germany
4. ZAAO, Valmiera, Latvia
5. Utena District municipality, Lithuania
6. Lodz University of Technology, Poland

Project implementation period:

01/01/2023 - 31/12/2025 (36 month)

Project's aim:

The project BALTIPLAST aims at prevention and reduction of plastic waste in the Baltic Sea Region, focusing on single use plastic reduction, improvements in plastic packaging and innovative collection and treatment systems at the municipality level, through a diverse and consolidated consortium with partners in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, along with the Union of Baltic Cities Sustainable Cities Commission, based in Finland.

The project's main objective is to identify, test and deploy concrete solutions to handle and reduce the flow of plastic waste to the Baltic Sea, under the lenses of a circular economy. It will do so by establishing a consortium with the main some of the key actors in the plastic waste value chain, namely local authorities, universities and research institutions, associations and NGOs, as well as SMEs and large enterprises in the participating countries, that operate in the waste management field.

Project's objectives:

·         To provide practical tools for public entities and business for reducing single-use plastic and plastic packing in a short period of time

·         To provide technical solutions for harmonization of the different categories of plastic waste processing, separation and recycling targeting municipalities and regional waste operators

·         To test and disseminate technical solutions for the use of alternative materials based packaging systems, targeting innovative SMEs

·         To provide guidance for consumers across the Baltic Sea Region to reduce single plastic use and plastic packaging

Project's activities and results:

1. Sharing best practices of plastic management among the partners.
2. Designing BALTIPLAST guidelines on plastic prevention and reduction strategies for municipalities, technical/technological solutions for recycling of plastic waste.
3. Elaborating information materials
4. Development of a local strategy document for the prevention and reduction of single use plastic
5. Piloting technical & technological measures
6. Piloting the campaign "BaltiPlast(ic) Diet” with volunteering residents at their households
7. Creating BALTIPLAST Plastic Waste Management Platform (BPWMP)
8. Organization of training courses for municipalities
9. Implementing the BALTIPLAST campaign for reduction of single-use plastics & plastic packaging at homes

Contacts:

       olga.tolmacova@daugavpils.lv 

       jolanta.reca-laze@daugavpils.lv 

Press releases:

 1. BALTIPLAST PROJECT TO REDUCE PLASTIC POLLUTION (Environmental day 2023, meetings, visit from Kaunas University of Technology)

2. interreg-baltic.eu information about BALTIPLAST activities during Environmental day 2023 in Daugavpils

3. EVENT FOR 6^TH – 7^TH GRADE PUPILS OF DAUGAVPILS SCHOOLS WITHIN ESDW 2023

4. esdw.eu information about BALTIPLAST activity within European Sustainable Development Week 2023

5. DAUGAVPILS STUDENTS TAKE PART IN EUROPEAN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WEEK 2023

6. Information about the event on the European Week for Sustainable Development 2023 in Facebook profile of NGO LAPAS (Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation)

7. EMPLOYEES OF THE DAUGAVPILS MUNICIPALITY TOOK PART IN A SEMINAR ON WASTE MANAGEMENT AND SORTING WITHIN THE BALTIPLAST PROJECT

8. BALTIPLAST PROJECT CONTINUES ACTIVITIES IN SCHOOLS

9. interreg-baltic.eu information about BALTIPLAST activities in Daugavpils schools

Video created by AADSO Ltd. on waste management at Cinīši landfill:

Project events:

1. Project's kick-off meeting in Riga, February 2023

2. On 21.04.2023. BALTIPLAST participated in the "Environment Day 2023" event in Daugavpils. Students and teachers were invited to fill in a questionnaire and test their knowledge about waste sorting. 132 questionnaires were filled in during the event and the results have now been compiled and emailed to the participants. No one answered all the questions correctly. The 8 participants with the lowest number of incorrect answers were rewarded by Daugavpils City Municipality. Waste sorting is important for successful waste management. That is why the BALTIPLAST project will implement various activities for both proper waste sorting and responsible use of resources.

3. On 26.04.2023. representatives of Kaunas University of Technology came to Daugavpils to visit the municipal waste landfill "Cinīši", meet with representatives of "AADSO" Ltd, Municipal Utility Department, Development Department and Daugavpils University to discuss and share their experience. This year, Kaunas University of Technology, in cooperation with Daugavpils University and AADSO Ltd, will carry out a morphological analysis of the waste going to the "Cinīši" landfill.

4. Project's second international meeting in Vasteras, Sweden in May, 2023

5. Daugavpils City Municipality Development Department in cooperation with the Education Department, Ltd. “AADSO”, as well as Latgale Zoo on 20.09. organized an event within the ESDW 2023 students from grades 6-7

6. Project BALTIPLAST participated in the results event of Erasmus+ KA2 Collaborative Partnership project "GIFT(ED)" (No 2021-1-LT01-KA220-VET-000029739) on 10th October, 2023. One of the project partners is MIKC Daugavpils School of Design and Art "Saules skola", who organized this event. The project "Gift(ED)" worked in the field of upcycling or reuse of materials, including plastics. The project resulted in the development of a training course for the Erasmus+ platform "Gift(ED)".

7. CERV programme's financed project "European Cooperation Against Climate Change" COGREENEU aims to involve citizens and communities in debates and actions related to our climate and environment by creating spaces for transnational activities, workshops and events where ideas and decisions on environmental sustainability can be put into practice. On 23rd-24th October, 2023 project's international event took place in Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas (Lithuania). Representatives of Daugavpils city municipality, coordinators of BALTIPLAST project in Daugavpils participated with workshop "Civic participation, with focus on youth involvement, in sustainable development - municipality perspective", organizing also activities connected with plastc waste. During the workshop BALTIPLAST project was also presented to the audiance.

8. On 24th November, 2023, municipal employees had the opportunity to participate in a seminar on waste sorting and management in Daugavpils municipality, as well as in the entire Latgale region.

9. Participation in Educational conference “Opportunities for developing sustainable thinking” on 28.11.2023., that was organized by MIKC Daugavpils School of Design and Art "Saules skola" within Erasmus+ KA2 Collaborative Partnership project "GIFT(ED)" (No 2021-1-LT01-KA220-VET-000029739). During the event, the BALTIPLAST project was presented and discussions took place on the activities planned in the project.

10. BaltiPlast project expert on 14.12.2023. gave an interactive lesson on waste sorting, plastic waste and its impact on the environment at Daugavpils Centra Secondary School, class 11a.

11. BaltiPlast project expert on 17.01.2024. gave an interactive lesson on waste sorting, plastic waste and its impact on the environment at Daugavpils Zinātņu Secondary School, class 11.

12. BaltiPlast project expert on 24.01.2024. gave an interactive lesson on waste sorting, plastic waste and its impact on the environment at Daugavpils Valstspilsētas Secondary School, class 11.

13. On 5th February, 2024 a seminar on waste management was organised for heads and deputy heads of educational institutions. The participants were informed about the latest developments in waste management in the world, country and in our city, as well as discussion was held about waste sorting in schools.

14. On 09.02.2024 the association "Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia" visited the 10th class of Daugavpils Zinātņu Secondary School and introduced the BALTIPLAST Plastic Inventory and Reduction Tool to the students, who started piloting it.

15. BaltiPlast project expert on 12.02.2024. gave an interactive lesson on waste sorting, plastic waste and its impact on the environment at Sventes Secondary School, class 10.

16. BaltiPlast project expert on 22.02.2024. gave an interactive lesson on waste sorting, plastic waste and its impact on the environment at Vienibas Primary School, class 8. 

17. The launch event of the Back to School/Back to University 2024 campaign took place on 1st March in Daugavpils, bringing together more than 200 students and nearly 20 expert lesson leaders. Students study several subjects at the same time, while we adults most often focus on one area in our daily work. Listening to students' questions, explaining, engaging and motivating, building a bridge of experience between the school and each expert's field of expertise - this was the experts' task on 1st March and throughout the campaign. Olga Tolmačova participated in the event as an expert and took this opportunity to present the BALTIPLAST project to participants.

18. On 18.03.2024 the association "Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia" visited the 8th class of Daugavpils Vienības Primary School and introduced the BALTIPLAST Plastic Inventory and Reduction Tool to the students, who started piloting it.

19. BaltiPlast project expert on 26.03.2024. gave an interactive lesson on waste sorting, plastic waste and its impact on the environment at Daugavpils Stropu primary school - development centre, grades 7, 8 and 9.

20. On 27.03.2024 students of 10th grade of Daugavpils Science Secondary School together with their teacher Oksana Dimitrijeva finished the pilot action of the plastic inventory and reduction tool developed within the BALTIPLAST project, which was implemented within the BALTIPLAST project in cooperation with the association "Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia" as well as the Daugavpils City Municipality.