Latest research results indicate that most of the plastic waste is transported via waterways of more than 100 km², making rivers to the main routes for plastic waste to the oceans. This has prompted the World Bank to assist the governments of Cambodia and Myanmar to develop and implement plastic action plans to reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the environment and waterways. Priority will be given to identifying where the waste is generated in order to determine appropriate measures to contain the areas of plastic waste. At selected locations, measurements based on multispectral sensor technologies will be carried out on rivers, bridges and other suitable infrastructure.
In this second project, the DFKI research group "Marine Perception" supports local companies in technical issues and in carrying out measurements with multispectral sensors. The measurement data as well as the area images will be analysed to classify identified plastic objects and plastic types, according to the international standards of the OSPAR guidelines. These results will help the national governments to develop strategies and investments and to set priorities to reduce the leakage of plastic waste, thus leading to improved plastics management.