Plastic pollution is a huge environmental and health problem. A lot of attention has focused on plastic pollution in our seas and along our coasts, but much less has been paid to our inland wetlands. This January you can help track how big the problem is through the International Waterbird Census network. As well as cleaning up litter, it’s also important to map waste with the Litterati app. With this app, you can specify exactly where each litter item is found and keep track of which brands, types of packaging, and materials are commonly found, which provides insights into the litter problem. By gathering this information, tackling the problem at its source becomes easier. This is possible by developing better packaging or implementing deposit systems on commonly found litter items such as bottles and cans.
Which beverage packaging is most prevalent in the environment? Who are the producers of these items, and who are the polluters? These are the questions we hope to provide an answer to. Only by keeping track of the waste we will be able to identify and confront the sources of the problem.
With this new app, you take a picture of the litter item and identify the location, brand, the type of packaging, and the material.
Here’s how it works:
- Download the Litterati app:
- Join the club Wetlands Trash Hunters. You will find our club by searching and by tapping on “Join”! (an example instruction video for joining clubs is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1LogEB6vAM)
Once you’re in the club Wetlands Trash Hunters, you can start your Trash Hunt! Here’s how it works:
- Use the Litterati app to take a picture of the litter item
- Tag the item (the type of packaging, the material, and the brand), and tap on ✓
- Clean it up! This is how we place the issue of litter on the map together.
Some tips for the use of the app:
- Take the picture now, upload and tag later!
It is possible to tag and upload your pictures of trash later. Through your gallery you can tag and upload your pictures when you are at home and connected to a WiFi network. As long as your GPS is on, the location will be saved, but you don’t need to have your internet on. - Automatically uploading pictures only on WiFi!
If you tap on ‘More’ and then on ‘Settings’, you can choose ‘WiFi only’. Only when connected to a WiFi network, your pictures will be uploaded.
