The Plastic Pirates team consists of experienced groups from each of the 13 participating countries and a European coordination team. (Check out the crew!)

Twice a year, the entire team convenes to share experiences, celebrate successes, address challenges, and discuss the future of this joint European project.

During the fifth General Assembly, Plastic Pirates from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain gathered virtually on April 16 and 18, 2024. The assembly focused on several key topics:

• Cooperation on Data Consolidation and Analysis: The Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! Initiative has supported pilot samplings across Europe since 2022. In a next step, the team further enhances collaboration to consolidate and analyze Plastic Pirates sampling data.
• Project Review and impulses for the future: The team reflected on 2.5 years of the Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! initiative across Europe and brainstormed on unified impulses to share for consideration on national and EU level policy making.
• Coastal Booklet Pilot Sampling: Plastic Pirate Teams with coastal areas convened to start planning pilot samplings for the new Plastic Pirates Coastal booklet.
• Spring Sampling 2024: The Plastic Pirates Spring sampling takes place from April to June. All national partners exchanged experiences and best practices from the Spring sampling 2024 so far. We are excited to receive many sampling data.
• Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! Summit 2024: The whole team planned the upcoming summit to make it a truly European experience!

It’s always a great experience to bring all the Plastic Pirates teams together and learn from each other. Stay tuned for updates on all the exciting developments in 2024!