Almost 2 tonnes of waste were collected by employees of Coca‑Cola Hungary on the upper section of the River Tisza

The Tisza and the Tisza Lake have astonishing natural assets beloved by many Hungarian and foreign tourists as a holiday resort and fishing spot. However, a large amount of driftwood, organic material and communal waste are washed down here most of them originating from Ukraine and Romania. The Kisköre Dam is the first facility in the Hungarian section of the river which can stop the flood of waste thus protecting the lower sections.

This problem needs joint efforts to be tackled effectively. Water management authorities, civilian and industry players – the National Directorate General for Water Management, Plastic Cup and Coca‑Cola Hungary – announced jointly in the summer of 2019 that they were prepared to manage the challenge collectively.

Plastic Cup has held waste collecting activities on the Upper Tisza for years, which the Coca‑Cola joined so that they could help manage the situation with a financial support of HUF 73 million provided by the global foundation of the company and its employees’ volunteer work. Therefore, the program Zero Waste Tisza was launched this summer aimed at providing a constant protection, waste collection and recycling – namely cleaning up the river in an increasing proportion.

The outcome of the second action surpassed that of the first one: this time 170 bags of waste corresponding to 1.8 tonnes had been removed from the Tisza. Among the waste collected communal waste, glasses, metals and objects made of PET could be found. Most of them had been sorted out based on their type at the spot.