The average concentration of microplastics in three Italian lakes has surged by more than 400% in just three years, affecting water quality, biodiversity and potentially human health, according to a study by the “Life Blue Lakes” project (www.lifebluelakes.eu). Despite their different morphological and ecosystem characteristics, the Garda, Trasimeno and Bracciano lakes have seen an “alarming increase” in the amount of plastics found in their waters – with the number of particles jumping from 135,188 per km² in 2017 to 549,020 km² in 2019.

Co-funded by the European Commission and industry association PlasticsEurope (Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticseurope.org), and supported by players from across the value chain as well as environmental organisations, civil society and policy makers, the Life Blue Lakes project kicked off in November 2019. It aims to tackle the problem of microplastics in the three aforementioned lakes in Italy as well as the Constance and Chiemsee lakes in Germany as a first focus, extending to other European lake communities in the future.

The project has a total budget of about EUR 2.5 bn and is being coordinated by Italian environmental association Legambiente (Como; www.legambiente.it). Ultimately, the aim is to draft a “Lake Paper” – a voluntary commitment signed by all local stakeholders for implementing good practices and spreading circular economy models to protect the lakes and reduce the impact of economic activities.

Virginia Janssens, managing director of PlasticsEurope, said, “Plastics waste is unacceptable in any environment. Our participation in the Blue Lakes project reflects our commitment to finding solutions to some of our most pressing environmental issues, in particular marine litter.”