The 2025 PET Cup competition season has ended

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 09. 17. 12:01

🎧 Hallgasd a cikket: Nyelv: Sebesség: 1.05×

The 2025 season of the PET Cup competitions ended with the VI. Bodrog PET Cup. The balance shows more than 29 tons of collected floodplain waste despite the fact that there was no major flood wave – and with it a flood of plastic – in the Tisza this year.

This means that in the 4 competitions with the participation of more than 900 pet pirates, they typically did not collect “fresh” floodplain waste, i.e. waste that arrived this year, but rather waste that had been lying in the floodplain and reeds for many years. The work therefore required greater effort, and the determined river cleaners often stood waist-deep in water, or they dug up a car part, a radiator, or a tractor wheel after hours of hard work.

The rain was no obstacle either

Unfortunately, current experiences also show that the Bodrog is still one of the most polluted rivers in Hungary. Even though the petkalóz are returning for the sixth year – to almost the same stretch of river – the floodplain still hides plenty of waste. This time the weather was not kind to the 160 participating petkalóz, 2 out of the 5-day competition were rainy. Not a little! According to weather statistics, on September 14, 1 month’s worth of precipitation fell in the space of 24 hours. However, this was no obstacle for the 6 teams: they collected more than 2.7 tons of waste on that day’s distance of only 3.6 river kilometers!

In contrast, the first day of the competition – spent on shipbuilding – was still swelteringly hot in Sárazsadány. The next day, already in the rain – with only canoes – the field set off to clean the section above Sárazsadány towards Bodrogolaszi.

Then on the morning of September 12, the ceremonial opening, open to the press, took place. At the event, László Ender, the mayor of Sárazsadány, the host, greeted the participants, and then, on behalf of the main sponsor, the Ministry of Energy, Deputy State Secretary for the Environment Nikoletta Keszthelyi, as well as the regional MP, Dr. Richárd Hörcsik, and the President of the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Assembly, Dr. Boglárka Bánné Gál, gave speeches.

The waste collection competition on September 12 and 13 was supported by the #gobodrog Interreg Hungary-Slovakia program, represented by the head of the HUSK Joint Secretariat, Csilla Veres, who greeted the pet pirates.