Masses of toxic litter pours from Rhine into North Sea each year, research finds

"Thousands of tonnes of litter is pouring into the North Sea via the Rhine every year, poisoning the waters with heavy metals, microplastics and other chemicals, research has found. This litter can be detrimental to the environment and human health: tyres, for example, contain zinc and other heavy metals that can be toxic to ecosystems in high concentrations. Even natural, less persistent materials, such as worked wood, paper, cardboard and food waste may contain toxic or harmful additives,"

"Rivers play a significant role in transporting litter into other aquatic and marine environments. Researchers said the composition of litter found in the Rhine was very similar to that found in other European rivers including the Thames. These large quantities of litter also have the potential to damage crucial infrastructure such as drainage systems, leading to increased risk of flooding."

"Citizen scientists and researchers from the University of Bonn analysed litter collected from the Rhine between November 2022 and November 2023. They found the river carried up to 4,700 tonnes of macrolitter pieces larger than 25mm in size annually. They said more research was needed to understand the full extent of the problem. Hamann said the Rhine was one of the major contributors of Europe's macrolitter into the sea, but added that many other rivers had not yet been investigated."

Thousands of tonnes of litter flow from the Rhine into the North Sea each year, introducing heavy metals, microplastics and chemical additives into aquatic ecosystems. Tyres release zinc and other metals that can become toxic at high concentrations. Even natural materials like worked wood, paper, cardboard and food waste can contain harmful additives. Rivers act as major conveyors of litter to marine environments, and Rhine litter composition resembles that of other European rivers. Large volumes of macrolitter can damage drainage infrastructure and increase flood risk. Sampling between November 2022 and November 2023 detected up to 4,700 tonnes of macrolitter annually, and further investigation is needed to quantify the full scope.

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