Garbage collection campaign in Munich: 29,000 cigarette butts on the 1300 meters of the banks of the Isar, Society for the Rescue of Dolphins eV, press release
Active together for environmental and marine protection
The organizers were not inactive again last year and, together with their supporters, largely cleaned up the banks of the Isar. But this year’s result is sobering, because the section was almost two-thirds shorter than last year, but the amount of rubbish doubled: 38 environmentalists collected – despite the initially rainy weather – in a three-hour Ramadama-A on a bank of the Isar from about 1.3 kilometers quickly 80 kilograms of garbage together. These included around 12,000 bottle caps, 29,000 cigarette butts and a wide variety of other plastic rubbish, such as dog waste bags and plastic confetti.
Problematic plastic waste
Much of the plastic waste ends up in our rivers and in the oceans. “Since the Isar flows into the Danube, as is well known, we Munich residents are jointly responsible for the heavy pollution of the Black Sea and the resulting threat to marine animals,” warns Verena Platt-Till, qualified biologist at the GRD. “Our plastic waste takes several hundred years to break down into the smallest microplastics. We will never be able to fish out microplastics, including plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, from the seas again. The danger that microplastics pose to all living beings is not yet sufficient, it is increasing, it is essential to stop the entry of plastic waste into the rivers. So I am particularly pleased that so many have joined our initiative.”
Cigarette butts – a danger for the water
Every third piece of plastic in the oceans is a cigarette filter: Compared to large pieces of plastic, old remains of cigarette butts decompose much faster, but they pose a completely different threat to the waters that should not be underestimated: the toxins in cigarettes poison them . A single discarded cigarette contaminates up to 60 liters of water. With the collected 29,000 butts, that is a total of 1,740,000 liters of water. This amount fills a swimming pool measuring 50 mx 10 mx 3.5 m. Smokers’ behavior of throwing a cigarette thoughtlessly on the floor is therefore extremely harmful to the environment.
Everyone can contribute
All participants were dismayed by the total amount of rubbish that had accumulated in the short time. everyone agreed that the campaign had to be repeated as soon as possible in order to slow down the entry of dangerous microplastics and toxins into the Isar. It also showed how much each individual can contribute to marine protection in such a short time. The GRD therefore appeals to all residents of Munich to take the rubbish they brought home with them and to dispose of it properly there.
The next clean-up will take place again next year in cooperation with Voice of the Seas and ColorSwell-handmade design. The GRD would like to thank all participants in the clean-up campaign, especially the Less Waste Club, the Munich diving society and Mantahari, who spontaneously joined this year’s campaign. Another thank you goes to the Kulturstrand team, who gave all the helpers an after-work drink.