Litter Map | Pollution Map

Tracking litter locally and globally

We have built the first ever reliable and freely available tool to identify global pollution trends.

It’s now used to log all litter in a database of real-time information about pollution. If you see it, we want to know about it.

Download the app and add to the map.

The Litter Map

All photos categorised in the app is shown in our interactive map, helping to identify trends and patterns all over the world.

Zoom in to see more photos of litter collected and click on them to enlarge

To solve a problem, we must first understand it

Your contribution makes a difference

Planet Patrol depends on people power.

Our action together in numbers:

Countries

Litter examples uploaded

Global #PlanetPatrollers

How it works

We needs your help to log litter you find in your local area on our ‘Litter Map’.

This data helps uncover insights into the trends and patterns of litter to inform evidence-based solutions to stop the problem at the source.

Why does it matter?

29 million tons of plastic is predicted to enter our oceans by 2040, nearly triple the current rate.

Currently we don’t know much beyond this as there is no well-established data about non-plastic pollution like metal and glass.

We don’t have time to waste guessing to solve the problem while litter continues to pollute our environment.

Our research

We’ve partnered with the University of Nottingham and University of Glasgow in the UK, who review and analyse everything logged in the app.

The data you collect is evidence and helps us understand the types, distribution, amount and brands of litter (plastics, glass, cans etc) we are finding.

With that information we can help to stop the problem at the source by developing targeted solutions for smarter packaging, policy changes and responsible behaviours.

A word from the University of Nottingham

“Planet Patrol’s platform offers an incredible opportunity to better understand the distribution and diversity of the litter in our landscape.

The data collected has the potential to identify the most appropriate strategies to mitigate plastic pollution from local to national scales.

By identifying each item of litter to type and, where possible brand, this initiative will produce one of the most comprehensive databases of litter available to us all.

Not only will this be invaluable to an increasingly environmentally aware society, but it could also inform industries of the fate of the disposable products they produce at a scale that cannot be ignored.”

Tom Stanton, PhD Researcher, University of Nottingham

Rate our App

If you enjoy using the Planet Patrol app, would you mind taking a moment to rate it? It won’t take more than a minute and helps other people find the app and collect more data to influence change.

Building a
community

Over the last three years we have collected over 440 tons of litter from inland waterways, parks, mountains and beaches, before it reaches the oceans.

That’s equivalent to the weight of over 43 million plastic water bottles!

With your help, we can continue to tackle the global single-use crisis.