European Circular Innovation Valley

Call on members to contribute to a new study on the cost of litter management

01 July 2024 Policy and Governance, ACR+ News

Following its recent publication on Deposit Return Systems, ACR+ will embark on a new study focusing on the cost of litter management. Litter poses a significant challenge for local authorities, bringing considerable financial, social, and environmental impacts. The Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive addresses this issue to some extent by making producers of certain single-use plastic products responsible for covering litter clean-up costs. Producers are also required to fund awareness-raising measures and, in some cases, costs related to data gathering and monitoring.

Despite these promising steps, implementing these provisions presents challenges. Questions arise on how to accurately calculate these costs, quantify each type of product, differentiate between products covered by the SUP Directive and others, and define what constitutes 'clean'. To tackle these challenges effectively, we are inviting our members to contribute information, data, and experiences to support the study. Interested members are encouraged to fill out this form to participate, after which they will be contacted by us.