University PET Cup cleans Bodrog River in Hungary

The first University PET Cup, organized by the PET Cup Association, took place on the Bodrog River in Hungary. Nine university teams of eight students each built PET boats, then spent three days collecting waste from a 37‑kilometre stretch of the river, preventing pollution from reaching the Tisza.

Teams gathered a total of 2,937 kg of plastic waste, about 60 % of which was suitable for recycling. The NYEP team won the competition, followed by the Budapesti Mikroműanyag Evők (BME) in second place and the BME ZIE Szakkoli team in third. A Dutch‑led team, Saving Private Rijn, placed fifth. The event was supported by the Active Hungary program, which covered participants’ costs.