MAPP report on the journey of plastic waste in the Po
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After two years it ended MAPP project (Monitoring Applied to Plastics in the Po) which followed the journey of plastic waste in the large river towards the Adriatic Sea. The experimental project was organized by the Po basin Authority and the Foundation for Sustainable Development and conducted together with ISPRA, CNR and the University of Cadiz.
Two years on the trail of plastic in the Po
Monitoring it took place from June 2021 to 2023. Different tools and methods - including innovative ones, at European level - were applied to estimate quantities, dimensions, main travel directions and potential accumulation points of the plastic material transported along the hydrographic network of the Po river .
Precious material to increase understanding of the phenomenon of plastic litter in the Po, which with its 652 km, entirely within national territory, is the longest in Italy, rises in Piedmont, crosses the entire Po Valley and flows into the Adriatic, at Porto Tolle , in the province of Rovigo.
Waste analysis
The analysis of the target waste - medium and large floating plastics - was conducted by applying the RIMMEL protocol, developed by the Joint Research Center (JRC), which involves the direct observation of this type of waste.
The observations were held, on a seasonal basis, in five locations – Verolengo (To), Isola Serafini (Pc), Boretto (Re), Pontelagoscuro (Fe), Porto Tolle (Ro) – and in the surrounding floodplain areas, i.e. the artificial embankments that they are submerged during flood periods.
Analyzes show a prevalence of plastic waste smaller than 10 cm, belonging to the first three size classes, i.e. less than 2,5 cm; between 2,5 and 5 cm; between 5 and 10 cm.
The results of the MAPP project
The journey to the sea
Moving plastic in water it was traced by releasing small floating plastic spheres integrated with GPS trackers into the Po. Between 2021 and 2023, 95 were released in Chivasso (To), Isola Serafini (Pc) and Pontelagoscuro (Fe).
The examination of the devices tracking highlights that
– less than 15% of trackers reached the Adriatic Sea. The remaining devices moved from a few hundred meters to hundreds of kilometers,
– the bank vegetation, the bridge pillars and the numerous moorings for river navigation represent areas of stranding for a long time and an obstacle to transport downstream,
– there are potential accumulation areas for medium-sized plastic waste. Useful information for periodic cleaning.
Satellite surveillance of waste in water
One more check was carried out through the use of satellite images provided by the Sentinel mission of the European Space Agency, which thanks to a high spatial resolution - up to 10 m - allows the detection of elements and objects of very small dimensions, and to distinguish macroplastics from other types of floating debris.
On an experimental basis, together with the Department of Geosciences of the University of Padua, two rafts were positioned at the Ronchetto quarry in Motta Baluffi (Cr), one composed only of plastic waste and the other of plastic and vegetation, to verify whether the satellite was able to identify and distinguish them.
The detection was completely successful, the rafts and their contents were clearly visible and distinguishable from the surrounding water. A promising result for effective environmental monitoring in the longest Italian watercourse.
Marta Strinati
On the cover a GPS tracker from the MAPP project
