Newsletter no. 6
reflects on some prominent network activities that took place just before summertime, that is, NETmicroplastic’s active participation in the Long Night of Research, the plastic experience space offered to schools in Lower Austria, and our second stakeholder workshop hosted by AIT in Tulln. Also, we inform about the network’s role in this year’s Kinder UNI Tulln, where we have prepared an interactive programme for children. Finally, we would like to draw your attention to an upcoming talk on how to avoid plastics in home gardening, organised at the Garten Tulln – please read on!
NETmicroplastic at the Long Night of Research in Tulln
On May 24 the Long Night of Research took place at various locations across Austria, with seven exhibition locations and 65 stations being set up in the area of Tulln in Lower Austria. There, universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutes, and companies presented their most innovative projects and attracted considerable interest from about 2,000 visitors. Among the presenters at the UFT Tulln, the AIT NETmicroplastic team joined the event from 5 to 11 p.m. at our hands-on station “Microplastics in the soil – what does the earthworm say?”
Via talks and hands-on presentation we demonstrated to interested visitors different plastic tools used in agriculture and explained how they may break down into tiny pieces – microplastics – as a result of sun, wind and rain when left on the fields. We explained the many uses of plastic tools in crop cultivation and management, including films that suppress weeds and protect young crop plants in early spring weather, as well as nets covering fruit trees and vines to keep away insects and birds, or irrigation hoses and cable ties.
Besides that, pieces of plastic waste are often blown onto agricultural fields. We then let our visitors investigate whether various plastic items were compostable, degradable or non-degradable in soil and invited them to take part in our plastic quiz. Finally, we instructed children how to design colorful buttons with motifs of soil fauna and invited them to have their picture taken at our soil-landscape photo wall.
Plastic experience space for primary school children
From 17 to 21 June 2024 a series of workshops took place at the University and Research Centre Tulln (UFT). Workshops could be booked free of charge and were designed specifically for primary school children, lasting three hours each. With our interactive programme, the NETmicroplastic’s research team of AIT at the UFT made the topic of “microplastics in soil” tangible and understandable for pupils. The research network provided up-to-date information and the latest data on plastic as a material and the situation of plastic and plastic waste in the cycle of production – use – waste and composting.
The workshop programme featured activities within four “plastic-stations”. Firstly, there was a plastic landscape that could be created using materials such as straw bales, car tyres, and grapevines. The landscape showcased tools and elements made of plastic, raising questions about their purpose and potential impact on the soil. The second station involved searching for and analysing plastic particles in the soil, exploring how plastic looks under a microscope and its distinguishing characteristics. The focus at the third station shifted to soil organisms, by presenting a short film on what lives in the soil. There was also the option to print a button featuring a favourite soil organism. The last station touched on bioplastics, presenting information on different types of plastic, their production, and what it means for plastic to be “biodegradable”. This information was presented on posters and participants could also create their own workpieces using bioplastic.
Children’s feedback was consistently positive and appreciative. It is planned to continue with the workshops also in the next year.
NETmicroplastic
Stakeholder-Workshop
in Tulln, 27 June 2024
In the follow-up of the network’s Stakeholder Workshop of 2023, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology invited again all relevant actors and stakeholders, including (bio)plastics industry representatives, farmers, policy makers, scientists, interested citizens, and all those somehow involved in the field of microplastics in soil, to participate in a Roadmap Consultation Workshop. Its scope was to jointly develop ideas and concepts that reflect the views of different sectors of society and lead the way towards an R&I strategy on microplastics. Among the speakers was Helene Walch from the Federal Environment Agency in Vienna, who reported on a nationwide study revealing widespread plastic contamination of soils. Claudia Preininger, who hosted the event, presented findings from research work, surveys and interviews, which assessed knowledge by various citizen groups about microplastics and inquired about the use of plastic in agriculture. News – Single View – AIT Austrian Institute Of Technology
The workshop’s highlight was a marketplace, where a number of companies and organisations active in the network’s thematic area presented themselves and their innovative ideas and technologies. Among the exhibitors were Witasek Pflanzenschutz GmbH, AGRANA Research & Innovation Center GmbH, Lenzing AG, Bündnis Mikroplastikfrei, RECENDT GmbH, FiBL Austria, Innovation-Farm Edtbauer.OG, Ecoplus, and TIMAC AGRO Düngemittelproduktions- und HandelsgmbH. The presenters conveyed the impression that a wide range of stakeholders show a strong commitment towards combating microplastics pollution in soil.
Interactive discussions were professionally moderated by Plansinn who guided the selection of specific topics to be discussed and further worked on later that day. The topics receiving highest voting scores via slido were “Improving the collection processes for biowaste” and “Measures to raise awareness among citizens in their everyday actions”, “Incentives for farmers to collect plastic products”, “Access to biodegradable products for farmers” and “Development of new short-lived degradable products”. Participants were grouped according to five stakeholder categories (Plastics Industry & Recycling, Agriculture, Methods & Separation, RTD & Education; and Politics, Administration, NGOs). Within the groups, the most urgent problems, possible measures and their expected effects or implementation problems were discussed in two consecutive rounds, with the option to switch stakeholder groups in the 2nd round. Results were collected via slido padlet and participants were asked to score them by giving likes. Findings that scored highest, by receiving most likes, are presented below and will flow into the strategic concept on microplastics in soil, which is currently in preparation for Lower Austria.
Findings:
About: Considering the advantages of compostable plastics in cost accounting from the perspective of consumers/users
Expected effect: True costs
First step: Demand complete CO2 balance of products
Who is needed? Legislative: Designing regulations that make sustainable alternatives mandatory
About: Tax incentives for users of alternative products
Expected effect: More purchasing power is generated
First step: Pilot project with research in practice
Who is needed? Commitment by policy makers
About: Information campaigns
Expected effect: Consumers better informed
First step: Influencers, training for sales
Who is needed? Salesperson in retail
About: Multilingual “No Plastic” sticker with symbols on the lid of the organic waste garbage can + information in the waste association newspaper
Expected effect: Creating awareness among citizens of different origins
First step: Print and affix stickers, easy to implement
Who is needed? Waste association and citizens
About: Early education – raising awareness from kindergarten onwards
Long-term effect: The young generation separates better, indirect “education” of parents and future generations
First step: Promotion campaign in kindergartens and schools and simultaneous integration into the curriculum
Who is needed? Kindergarten, schools, waste association, anchoring in the curriculum, Ministry of Education, environmental education player
About: Standardization of systems / regulations as broad as possible
Expected effect: Less confusion, better understanding, better compliance (in collection and separation)
First step: National working groups
Who is needed? Waste associations etc., legislators
About: Communicating values to society (long-term)
Expected effect: Positive societal processes
First step: Show role model effect in your own environment
Who is needed? Role models and teachers
About: Alternative packaging materials (degradable)
Expected effect: Reduction of conventional plastics in biowaste
First step: Joint petition by affected stakeholders (waste management, agriculture, municipalities)
Who is needed? Trade, legislation
About: Awareness-raising information on reducing plastic in organic waste
Expected effect: Pure residual material (compost) without MP
First step: Cooperation between federal states, waste associations and municipalities to develop and disseminate information; standardized waste system for composting/organic garbage cans
Who is needed? Education system, waste associations, municipalities
About: Guidelines for reducing the amount of plastic in packaging
Expected effect: purer residual materials
First step: Valuable materials instead of waste
Who is needed? Waste disposal companies, packaging industry, politics
Current and upcoming NETmicroplastic activities
AIT participates in the Kinder UNI Tulln 2024, where the NETmicroplastic team will organize hands-on workshops on microplastics in agricultural systems on August 19, 20 & 22. In the three-hour workshops, children will learn about plastic tools and their use in agriculture and will get to know alternative materials such as bioplastics. Topics include production, labeling, and degradation of plastics in soil, including by soil organisms. There will be creativity and hands-on activities in the lab, involving fabrication of biodegradable plastic films, a microscopy station, and crafting with plastic waste and plastic agricultural products.
On August 29th, 2024, Bündnis Mikroplastikfrei will organize a talk with the well-known bio-gardener Karl Ploberger at the International Gartenbaumesse Tulln about how to avoid the use of plastics in the home garden.
