Dutch trash-mapper identifies 65% drop in plastic bottle litter after government DRS

21 Jan 2022 --- Mapping trash has proven effective in the Netherlands through an initiative called Zwerfinator, which identifies litter types and quantities in municipalities using smartphone cameras.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, the initiative detected a 65% decrease in the quantity of plastic bottle litter strewn on streets, bushes and water bodies. The mapping also identified trash behind cars and in ditches. 

A correlation has been made between the packaging waste decrease and a deposit return system imposed by the Dutch government in July 2021, consisting of €0.15 (US$0.17) for small bottles and €0.25 (US$0.28) for larger ones. 

International researchers have advocated for governments to ensure plastic waste generated during COVID-19 is more efficiently collected, segregated and recycled. The pandemic has reportedly exacerbated plastic consumption, particularly personal protective equipment and home food delivery packaging.

“I started picking up litter almost eight years ago. After two years, I noted that I was constantly picking up the same kinds of litter and the same amount over and over again. Picking up litter is good, but it does not solve the problem,” Dirk Groot, founder of Zwerfinator, tells PackagingInsights.

Cleaning up the streets
The decrease in plastic bottle waste specifically was not immediately apparent as old rubbish had still been in circulation. Mainly urban areas have been analyzed. In mid-August, the figures began to indicate a decrease in this type of waste. 

“Litter is a very old phenomenon with many causes and, in essence, a natural process. However, plastic turned litter from a local problem into a global problem,” says Groot. 

In Q4 2021, metal cans were 9.4 times more polluting than plastic bottles.“We will never be able to completely solve the problem with litter. We need to reduce it and make it less harmful. With data, we can steer, drive and control industry and government – call it helping.”

In the third quarter of 2021, a 30% decrease was visible compared to the previous year, and roughly 65% in the fourth quarter. When comparing, the fourth quarters of 2017 to 2020, the average decline was about 70%. 

The data collected on beverage packaging litter has been included in the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management’s (Rijkswaterstaat) reports since 2019.

Method in the madness
Zwerfinator’s method aims to provide a detailed overview of litter to municipalities to effect proper measures to remove it from the environment, including having discussions with related parties, repositioning trash cans or adjusting clean-up schedules.

“I pick up and record about 100,000 pieces of litter a year, about 60% of which is made of plastic. The good thing is I can see that percentage is going down because of EU measures and some successful campaigns we did,” explains Groot.

“Due to those campaigns, some sweets wrappers are now made of paper.”

The ratio of cans has been higher than plastic bottles for several years, fluctuating to as much as 2.7 times higher. In the fourth quarter of 2021, cans were 9.4 times higher than plastic bottles.

Groot has conducted various trash-mapping campaigns, such as Operation Knetterbal and Operation Spatplastic, with “Plastic Soup Surfer” Merijn Tinga. These operations resulted in many retail chains stopping the sale of disposable plastics, such as fireworks, water balloons and confetti.

Non-governmental organization Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) highlights how key players in the plastics industry create a veneer of erroneous answers to the plastic problem that will in effect do little to reduce their footprint. Dirk Groot’s beverage trash collection pays off.

The BFFP report analyzed hundreds of packaging schemes employed by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Unilever, Mars, Mondelēz International and P&G to promote their environmental sustainability credentials.

Labor of love to curb pollution
Groot takes a picture of every piece of litter with his smartphone, which automatically records the geolocation. Later he adds data tags such as “object,” “material,” “category,” and “brand.” He also keeps track of the distances to calculate litter density in each monitored area.

Initially, he took pictures of litter to demonstrate there was more than what was being detailed in official studies and public reports. “Soon, I found out that there was much more to learn from the data I collected,” he says.

An analysis is made of the data collected, and a report is compiled, including new developments and recommendations to improve the situation.

The UK government has also ramped up its “war on plastic waste” with fresh plans to stop the supply of a range of single-use plastics that threaten the natural environment.

This week, Circle Economy warned world leaders are missing an opportunity to combat climate change by failing to implement circular economy strategies that reduce virgin material consumption.

By Inga de Jong