Two years of daily monitoring of floating macro-litter at the River-Sea interface: Aarhus River, Denmark
This study by our partners Mirco Haseler (Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research) and Geraldo Mihut (Plast Center Danmark) has delivered the first continuous, 24-hour monitoring of floating macro-litter in the Baltic Sea region.
The Circular Ocean-bound Plastic project monitored the Aarhus River over two one-year periods (2021/22 and 2024/25) using the innovative SeaProtectorOne system, a device that collects litter across the entire river width before it reaches the sea.
The results are striking:
- 80,000+ litter items were collected at the river–sea interface in total
- Plastics made up about 60%, followed by paper/cardboard at 23%
- Litter levels peaked on summer weekends, linked to urban recreation
- Overall litter fell by more than 70%, reflecting effective local measures and growing public awareness
The study highlights how high-resolution, real-time data can transform understanding of riverine litter flows, and help design targeted strategies to stop plastic pollution at its source.
Read the full open-access article in Marine Pollution Bulletin, available on ScienceDirect here:
Two years of daily monitoring of floating macro-litter at the River-Sea interface: Aarhus River, Denmark – ScienceDirect