PLASTECO - Curbing Plastic Waste & Littering in EU Regions

As time flies, one and a half years of our PLASTECO podcast journey are over. But we don't want to start our last episode sad and that's why we decided to talk about ONLY GOOD NEWS today. Tune in and hear more about good news on the topic of plastics. By the way, more on this (also on good news) will be available on the PLASTECO social media channels in the future. Thank you for your support and stay sustainable! ___________________________________________ Sources: · https://scitechdaily.com/plastic-eating-enzyme-could-supercharge-recycling-and-eliminate-billions-of-tons-of-landfill-waste/ · https://unea.marinelitter.no/ · https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/04/another-big-shipping-line-is-refusing-to-export-the-west-s-plastic-waste/#:~:text=As%20of%20today%20(April%2015,in%20China%20and%20Southeast%20Asia · http://www.sci-news.com/biology/birch-tree-microplastic-10574.html · https://projects2014-2020.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/news/news-article/13735/france-bans-plastics-for-fruit-and-vegetables/ · https://www.interreg-athu.eu/aktuelle-projekte/so22-naturschutz/ · https://www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at/cms/beitrag/12866308/73033083/ Contact and Links: Via Mail: [email protected] Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/ PLASTECO Social Media Channels: https://www.facebook.com/plastecointerreg https://twitter.com/plasteco2 https://www.linkedin.com/company/plasteco/ ______________________ The music sources used were from Zapsplat.com.

Littering should be a big issue for all of us. We must avoid littering and also make others aware of it. Why this is so important is shown by the project PlasticFreeDanube, which analyzed litter in and along the Danube. I'm happy to talk about this with my guest today, an expert who also worked on this project. Be sure to listen in! ________________________________________ Sources: · Contact of today´s guest Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Gudrun Obersteiner: https://boku.ac.at/personen/person/AC5B41AE2BDA6824 · Projectwebiste of PlasticFreeDanube: https://plasticfreeconnected.com/ Contact and Links: Via Mail: [email protected] Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/ PLASTECO Social Media Channels: https://www.facebook.com/plastecointerreg https://twitter.com/plasteco2 https://www.linkedin.com/company/plasteco/ ___________________________________ The music sources used were from Zapsplat.com.

Everyone is talking about Biopolymers. To be honest, do you know what biopolymers actually are? And which opportunities do biopolymers offer? These are the questions I asked my today´s expert.  Tune in - it's going to be so interesting! _____________________________ Sources: · Contact of Prof. Dr. Katharina Resch-Fauster as today´s guest: [email protected] Contact and Links: Via Mail: [email protected] Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/ PLASTECO Social Media Channels: https://www.facebook.com/plastecointerreg https://twitter.com/plasteco2 https://www.linkedin.com/company/plasteco/ ___________________________________ The music sources used were from Zapsplat.com.

Spring is knocking on the door and despite that, we think it is still not too late for a review of the year 2021! We already recorded this episode at the beginning of the year and hope that you forgive us for the delay. Together with my guests we want to reflect the past year, as well as our project work and have a look into the future. Will you join us? Sources: · Contact of Dr. Ingrid Winter as today´s guest: [email protected], as well as Stephanie Lizak, MSc also as guest: [email protected] · Website of the Cluster of Environmental Technologies Bavaria: https://www.umweltcluster.net/en/ · More about Waste and Resource Management in the Styrian region: https://www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at/ Contact and Links: Via Mail: [email protected] Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/ PLASTECO Social Media Channels: https://www.facebook.com/plastecointerreg https://twitter.com/plasteco2 https://www.linkedin.com/company/plasteco/ ___________________________________ The music sources used were from Zapsplat.com.

Listen up! The last PLASTECO podcast episode for 2021 is online and today´s topic is „Initiatives in the Styrian region: This is how the Styrian region cooperates to achieve PLASTECO´s project goals”. As promised, it will be a bit more regional. With my guest and colleague Therese Schwarz from the Office of the Regional Government of Styria, Directorate 14 – Department Waste and Resource Management, we are looking at how waste management in Styria works relating to plastics. We are focusing in particular on initiatives in Styria that could also be of interest to other regions. What are you waiting for - tune in! ___________________________________ Sources: · Contact of Mag. Therese Schwarz, MEng. as today´s guest: [email protected] · More about Waste and Resource Management in the Styrian region: https://www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at/ · More about the Styrian Spring Clean-Up: www.saubere.steiermark.at Contact and Links: Via Mail: [email protected] Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/ PLASTECO Social Media Channels: https://www.facebook.com/plastecointerreg https://twitter.com/plasteco2 https://www.linkedin.com/company/plasteco/ ___________________________________ The music sources used were from Zapsplat.com.

In the last two podcast episodes, we have learned what the plastic pollution crisis is all about and how each of us can live in a more eco-friendly and sustainable way and, with a little effort, how we can change our daily routine. Today we're going to focus more on theory and with the help of our today’s expert the attorney at law Mag. Elisabeth Moser-Marzi we'll take a look at the most important legal acts of the EU concerning our project topic, which are intended to solve the littering problem and the plastic crisis. This episode will be anything but boring so make sure to tune in! ____________________________________________________ Sources: • European Comission, “Energy, Climate change, Environment”: https://ec.europa.eu/info/energy-climate-change-environment_en & https://eur-lex.europa.eu/summary/chapter/environment.html?root_default=SUM_1_CODED%3D20&locale=en ; & “Implementing environment legislation” https://ec.europa.eu/environment/efe/news/implementing-environment-legislation-2012-05-01_en • European Comission, “Plastic Waste: a European strategy to protect the planet, defend our citizens and empower our industries”: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_18_5 • European Comission, “Factsheets on the European strategy for plastics in a circular economy”: https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/factsheets-european-strategy-plastics-circular-economy_en • Website Mag. Moser-Marzi as today´s guest: https://www.moser-marzi.at/en/ • European Comission, “COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS, A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy”:https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1516265440535&uri=COM:2018:28:FIN • European Comission, “COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS, Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy”: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52015DC0614 ____________________________________________________ Contact and Links: Via Mail: [email protected]  Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/  PLASTECO Social Media Channels: https://www.facebook.com/plastecointerreg  https://twitter.com/plasteco Waste and Resource Management in the Styrian region: https://www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at/  The music sources used were from Zapsplat.com.

I have once again invited a brilliant guest to the PLASTECO Podcast. Our guest is Dr. Ulrike Gelbmann. She is Senior Postdoc Researcher at the Institute of Systems Sciences, Innovation & Sustainability Research at the University of Graz, Austria and answered our questions concerning “plastic consumption”. We talked about on how you can easily change your daily routine to be more eco-friendly and save money as well as plastic. We are also happy to hear useful tips from Sofia, a PLASTECO staff member in our partner region Bulgaria.  Tune in! ___________________________________________________ Sources: Statistics:https://de.statista.com/themen/4645/plastikmuell/#:~:text=Kunststoff%3A%20Produktion%20vs.&text=In%20den%20EU%2DL%C3%A4ndern%20entstehen,findet%20sich%20in%20Verkaufsverpackungen%20wieder How Germans feel about the plastics crisis: https://www.boell.de/de/2019/06/06/so-denken-die-deutschen-ueber-die-plastikkrise The contribution to marine littering of the province of Styria, Austria by D. Huter & R. Pomberger: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00506-020-00702-8#:~:text=Die%20Steiermark%20emittiert%20als%20Binnenland,Mensch%20der%20Erde%20im%20Durchschnitt Plastic Pledge: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/plasticpledge/ Interviews with Dr. Ulrike Gelbmann: “RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION” by the free lunch commission: https://thefreelunch.org/article/responsible-consumption; "Wir leben über unsere Verhältnisse" by Katharina Schmidt for Wiener Zeitung: https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/politik/welt/464833-Wir-leben-ueber-unsere-Verhaeltnisse.html Youtube Videos: “100 ZERO WASTE SWAPS YOU HAVE TO TRY” by Sustainably Vegan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkG4jSbfReQ; “50 OF MY DAILY ZERO WASTE HABITS IN 24 HOURS” by Gittemary Johansen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojON67Ww-RU International Clean Up Activities: “The Styrian Spring Clean-up”: http://www.saubere.steiermark.at; „OCEAN INITIATIVES“: https://www.initiativesoceanes.org/en/search; “World Cleanup Day”: https://www.worldcleanupday.org/; "Global Cleanup Map”: https://cleanup.earthday.org/pages/find-a-cleanup  ________ Contact & Links: Via Mail: [email protected]  Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/ Waste & Resource Management in Styria: https://www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at/  The music sources are from Zapsplat.com.

For the first time, we dive deeper into the topic of "plastics". We are looking at the history of plastics and if the so called “plastic pollution crisis” is real. So, what impact does the plastic pollution crisis have on us humans and the planet? Once we have looked at some facts in this regard, I have the pleasure of talking to Univ.-Prof. Dr. Roland Pomberger from the University of Leoben. He will give us his expert opinion concerning the so called “plastic pollution crisis”. ________________________________ Contact and Links: Mail: [email protected] Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/ PLASTECO Social Media Channels: https://www.facebook.com/plastecointerreg https://twitter.com/plasteco2 Waste & Resource Management in the Styrian Region: https://www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at/ Music sources from Zapsplat.com ________________________________ Sources: · Contact Mr. Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. mont. Roland Pomberger via: https://www.avaw-unileoben.at/de/team/id,7/ · Webiste of Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management, Montanuniversitaet Leoben: https://www.avaw-unileoben.at/en/ · “Plastic Atlas” by Heinrich Böll Stiftung: https://www.boell.de/en/plasticatlas?fbclid=IwAR0HbPSMcBAfM1JEbAiPDNS3kC1yk1PtGBpdxOmekEGfV6TCuJ-an4kVdVc  · “Safety Gate: the rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products” by the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumers_safety/safety_products/rapex/alerts/repository/content/pages/rapex/index_en.htm ·  “Consumer right to know” under REACH by the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/right_en.htm · “5 unexpected solutions to the plastic crisis” by Lucy Jones for BBC: https://www.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=unexpected-solutions-to-the-plastic-crisis#:~:text=The%20plastic%20crisis%20is%20one,choking%20turtles%20to%20poisoning%20whales. · More information about the “plastic pollution crisis”: https://www.storyofplastic.org/learn-crisis; https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/fall-2019/articles/plastic-in-the-ocean; https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/

It is the start of our podcast journey! Are you ready? Our first podcast episode is online. We are starting a journey together to learn more about avoiding plastics and plastic waste. If you are as interested in reducing the burden on our environment and using plastics more responsibly, follow our podcast! But first, in this episode, we want to tell you more about the PLASTECO project. Be sure to tune in! __________________________________ Contact and Links: Via Mail: [email protected] Project Website: https://www.interregeurope.eu/plasteco/ PLASTECO Social Media Channels: https://www.facebook.com/plastecointerreg https://twitter.com/plasteco2 Waste and Resource Management in the Styrian region: https://www.abfallwirtschaft.steiermark.at/ ___________________________________ The music sources used were from Zapsplat.com.