Plastic pollution in Amsterdam's waterways poses a significant environmental challenge. With an estimated 3.67 plastic items entering the IJ River every minute, Amsterdam's waters are becoming a gateway for nearly 1.9 million pieces of plastic that eventually flow into the North Sea yearly. The Urban Plastic Soup project, led by AMS Institute, Wageningen University & Research, the Municipality of Amsterdam, and others, has been tracking this waste and has key insights into the types and sources of plastic pollution.
While the city manages to remove 42 tons of plastic waste annually, the new data highlights the three most frequently found plastic waste items in Amsterdam's canals:
- Food packaging: Single-use plastic wrappers and containers contribute significantly to urban plastic waste, reflecting a broader challenge of disposable consumer culture;
- Cigarette butts: 142,500 butts were found. If we stacked these on top of each other, it would be equivalent to 10 Eifel towers! These items are small yet highly polluting, containing Ing microplastics and toxic chemicals that leach into the water;
- 'Other' items such as balloons, toys, and more packaging: These varied items, while individually smaller in number, still contribute to the cumulative plastic pollution, compounding the overall impact on Amsterdam.
“These findings speak for themselves: plastic pollution remains a pressing issue in Amsterdam, and it's time for action. The next step is to turn insights, research, and city experiments into practical tools to help municipalities refine their policies and tackle plastic pollution effectively. We will continue exploring strategies beyond waste collection, including reuse, refuse, and biobased alternatives within the project. To maximize impact, this comprehensive approach should be replicated in other cities.”
Francesca Alberti
Project Manager Research & Innovation, Circularity in Urban Regions
Explore the data and track the composition of waste month-by-month and by location here.
The findings indicate that much of the plastic waste in Amsterdam’s waterways originates from everyday human activities. Cigarette butts, for example, are frequently discarded on streets before being washed into the canals by rainwater. Food packaging, often left behind in public spaces, follows a similar path. The presence of condoms points to improper disposal habits that contribute to water pollution.
“This project helps us understand how big the plastic waste problem in our waterways is and how we can fix it at the end of the pipeline. The study shows us how plastic waste from the city ends up in our rivers and oceans and which systems best filter the waste out of the water. This information is important to get the right people involved and make better choices for a waste-free Amsterdam in 2030.”
Lotte Geeraedts, Sustainability Specialist, Urban Management Green and Water, City of Amsterdam
Tackling plastic pollution: collection and prevention
The Urban Plastic Soup project seeks to tackle this issue, in close collaboration with the City of Amsterdam, and has installed three collection points around the city that all utilize distinct and innovative methods:
- The Great Bubble Barrier: A curtain of bubbles that intercepts plastic waste in canals before it reaches open waters.
- The CanalCleaner: A floating system designed to capture and remove debris from the water.
- The Shoreliner: A device positioned in harbors and riverbanks to collect floating plastic waste before it disperses.
The project team
Despite these interventions, the data suggests that prevention remains the most effective strategy for reducing plastic pollution in the long term. The project also seeks to implement a circular economy to prevent the waste entering the waterways in the first place. Key here will be engaging with behavioral change—encouraging residents and visitors to dispose of plastic waste responsibly. Potential strategies include:
- Expanding public awareness campaigns on the environmental impact of littering.
- Increasing the availability and visibility of public waste bins, particularly near waterways.
- Strengthening regulations around single-use plastics and promoting sustainable alternatives.
In addition, the research highlights opportunities for further collaboration between the public and private sectors. Businesses in the food and hospitality industries, for example, could play a role in reducing packaging waste by adopting reusable or compostable alternatives.
While cleanup initiatives have been effective in managing visible pollution, the new findings from the Urban Plastic Soup project emphasize the need for preventative measures. As part of the next phase of research, AMS Institute and its partners will explore additional strategies for reducing plastic waste at the source.
For more information visit Urban Plastic Soup.
