Report on roadside trash

A problem that weighs tons

Cans, cigarette butts, bottles, wipes, plastic wrappings…these elements abound in our gutters, ditches and roadsides. It is estimated that in Europe, the amount of garbage collected annually is around hundreds of thousands of tons, with a cost close to one billion euros. However, the most significant impact of this waste is not economical. Plastics that take more than 400 years to degrade, toxic substances that seep into the ground affecting water reserves, animals trapped or choked by waste thrown on the side of roads…this waste is a treat to us and many other species.

These are just some of the environmental and health impacts of the garbage that we throw through out of the car window or that we leave abandoned in areas near these transport routes. SEO/BirldLife International as part of the Libera project asked us to study this issue in detail and summarize it in a report to raise awareness about this issue.