Microplastics in Germany's Rhine river doubled since 2020: Greenpeace

The German branch of the international climate group Greenpeace on Wednesday said levels of microplastics have doubled in the Rhine river since 2020, reported dpa.

In a new study, the organization measured samples of river water taken between the western cities of Cologne and Dusseldorf.

It found an average of 1.1 new microplastic particles per cubic metre, with particularly high concentrations around the Dormagen chemical park.

The figure is around twice as high as Greenpeace found in its first survey of the Rhine in 2020. In late 2021, the number of microplastic particles in the river stood at 0.63 per cubic metre.

For the first time, the group found particles present in the sample with a diameter of less than 0.5 millimetres, which it said could be residue from industrial production.

Greenpeace estimated that the Rhine transports roughly 258 million microplastic particles to the North Sea every day, up from 125 million in 2020.

"It is alarming that the pollution has seemingly worsened further," said scientist Julios Kontchou, calling for authorities in the state of North Rhine Westphalia to "determine where the microplastic particles in the Rhine are coming from."

The operator of the Dormagen chemical park, Currenta, said that it would examine the results of the study before making a statement.

The company said it aims to reduce microplastic emissions - in some cases by filtering wastewater to retain microplastic - despite the lack of specific legal regulations on the issue.