Extended Producer Responsibility
Prevention is the Cure for Europe’s Litter Challenge
Urban and rural cleansing programmes cost billions across the EU – essentially to collect and handle litter that should not be there in the first place. A significant portion of this cost could be avoided by better litter prevention.
Litter is the result of thoughtless or deliberately anti-social behaviour by citizens and organisations, or may occur as a result of inadequate waste management systems. We can prevent much of this if everyone takes their rightful share of responsibility in changing this behaviour. This is the key to stopping litter on a permanent basis.
While effective and intelligent cleansing programmes are essential, it is our experience that one of the most important ways to reduce and even stop littering is to devote adequate and sustained resources to communication and education aimed at changing people’s behaviour. There is much existing experience that bears witness to this.