PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The European Environment Agency report emphasises that action on mercury in Europe’s environment is a priority, with the current level of mercury in the atmosphere five times above the natural level and in the oceans around two times higher. Exposure to even small quantities of mercury can cause serious health problems affecting the nervous, cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems. Moreover, mercury can contaminate plant and animal organisms and subsequently enter the human food chain. For example, fish is the main source of methylmercury.
In recent years, the use of mercury in products and industrial processes has significantly reduced, and this trend is expected to continue. The EU requires the use of best available techniques to reduce emissions from all relevant industrial activities, especially coal combustion, waste incineration, cement production, manufacture and smelting of metals. However, risks from sources of mercury contamination – such as household items including thermometers, thermostats, blood-pressure cuffs, barometers, fluorescent lamps, old alkaline batteries, dental amalgam and antique clocks – are still serious. Modern items, such as batteries, LCD screens and fluorescent lights, also pose a risk that must be managed throughout the product’s lifespan. It is therefore necessary to increase awareness of the mercury content of household goods and the danger of the improper handling of waste containing mercury.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE MERCURY-FREE project aimed to reduce the environmental contamination of mercury from household consumer goods by developing a communication and cooperation platform, organising a large-scale informational campaign and promoting behavioural change. It applied a ‘behavioural insights’ approach, creating mercury-free communities in participating cities and encouraging multi-stakeholder dialogue on the problem.
Specifically, the project aimed to:
- Communicate the problem of mercury contamination, with a view to reducing mercury usage in line with EU legislation and the Minamata Convention;
- Facilitate sharing of successful environmental practice by developing a cooperation network and by setting up a platform for carrying out informational campaigns and training, as well as for sharing information;
- Increase awareness of the rules governing the use, storage and disposal of mercury-containing household goods by carrying out a wide-reaching and targeted educational campaign;
- Engage all relevant stakeholders to improve confidence in the lifecycle of the mercury-containing household goods by drawing up a Multi-Stakeholder Roadmap for Mercury-Free City and by creating Mercury-Free City Communities;
- Apply behavioural insights methods to encourage behavioural change;
- Ensure transfer and replication of the project results by application of the Mutual Learning Exercise methodology and through a dissemination campaign; and
- Secure the long-term future of the LIFE e-Hub and the Mercury-Free City Communities.
RESULTS
The project supported the objectives of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability Towards a Toxic-Free Environment (COM(2020) 667 final) to protect the health of citizens from the impact of hazardous waste containing mercury. As a result of a broad promotional and educational campaign in the cities where the project was carried out (Łódź and Krakow in Poland, Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine, Camerino in Italy, Évora in Portugal, and Larissa in Greece), the knowledge of both local authorities and residents increased regarding the health risks posed by waste containing mercury and the proper ways of handling mercury.
As planned the project contributed to changes in the behaviour of the citizens. Almost all respondents of the final survey revealed a positive shift in household behaviour: more people that at the beginning of the project expressed intent to replace mercury-containing devices with mercury-free alternatives (however, knowledge of alternatives is still relatively low). The proportion of respondents who knew where to bring mercury-containing waste for proper collection also increased.
The beneficiaries launched the e-Hub Platform. It was a key project outcome. It serves both as a knowledge base on mercury-containing products and proper handling of mercury-containing waste, as well as a platform for communication and exchange of experiences between stakeholders interested in actions aimed at reducing the risk to humans and the environment caused by improper handling of mercury-containing waste.
The second important initiative initiated during the project was the establishment of a new non-governmental organisation: the Mercury-Free Cities Community Network. The new NGO would lead activities aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the project's results and their replication in other cities and EU member states.
Particularly noteworthy is the significant and deep involvement of two Ukrainian beneficiaries in the implementation of the planned activities. Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, they not only completed all the planned works, but the operation in Lviv was the most effective in the separate collection of mercury-containing waste. The involvement and actions of the Ukrainian beneficiaries contributed to the Ukrainian government's decision to accede to the Minamata Convention in June 2023.
The most important quantitative results of the project are as follows:
- during the project lifetime in the cites participated in the project collected waste containing approximately 44.5 kg of mercury: in Łódź – 3.9 kg, Kraków –in 5.1 kg, in Lviv – 33.2 kg, in Camerino – 1.97 kg, and in Evora – 3.3 kg;
- the final survey (over 2,100 responses from all cities in which project activities were implemented) showed a 5–10% increase in residents' awareness of the harmful effects of mercury. Their knowledge of safe waste disposal increased by 10–15%, and their willingness to substitute mercury-free products for mercury-containing products reached 70–80%;
- social benefits were also evident in higher collection rates for mercury-containing waste. The amount of mercury-containing waste collected increased substantially in cities in which project activities were implemented in years 2023 - 25 by 20 - 30% compared to 2022;
- the number of people reached through promotional and information activities exceeded 200,000;
- the informational campaigns and educational activities implemented within the Academy of Mercury Free LIFE reached over 10,000 people;
- the beneficiaries developed five National Good Practice Manuals (in 5 languages: in Polish, Italian, Ukrainian, Portuguese and Greek) - an overarching reference document for cities, municipal authorities, and civil society organisations aiming to reduce mercury contamination from household products.