The European Litter Prevention Association

Wanted: exceptional leaders

22 January 2016

The litter challenge is great. It is a tragedy of the commons that we must overcome... together! We can all understand intuitively that resources that are available to all are vulnerable to the exploitation of some to the detriment of all. This is the case for our roads and public spaces which are vulnerable to litterers discarding their remains and ruining the spaces for others.

What our litter prevention organisations know from experience is that examples, whether positive or negative, are soon followed and can define new norms of behaviour. Hence, the presence of litter has a tendency to increase littering behaviour and, conversely, manifested attention and support for clean environments encourage citizens to respect public spaces. This is why our members run campaigns encouraging people to take pride in their environments and keep them beautiful.

We are on a mission to bring about a litter-free Europe by 2030. In order to realise this incredible feat, we need exceptional leaders . We need you, consumer, to do the right thing and dispose of your litter responsibly. We need you, producer, to acknowledge the importance of responsible behaviour and encourage consumers to do the right thing. We need you, public authority, to facilitate the good behaviour of citizens and make litter prevention a priority. We need you, policy-maker, to take the long view and put in place constructive policies that allow each to play their part. We need you, civil society and entrepreneur, to come up with creative solutions that make it easier for all of us to keep our environments clean.

Will you lead the way? We espouse an approach of shared responsibility and invite all stakeholders to join in our efforts to tackle the litter challenge. We are currently working, among others, on the development of tools to measure litter across land and in waters. This will help us and all litter prevention stakeholders to identify hotspots and assess the success of litter prevention measures over time. We hope you will join us. Contact us to find out what part you can play to bring about a litter free Europe by 2030.