Litter data for policy

To address the high volumes of litter and waste there are several policies and regulations in place or in the pipeline that affect ground litter in Scotland. To best inform the design, implementation and evaluation of such policies, evidence is needed on where specific litter items are found, what external factors affect levels of litter and what the longer trends of litter levels are.

We offer measurement and monitoring of specific litter types nationally or in set geographic areas, whether that be in different environments, different regions or different land uses. Our data can be produced in a raw format, in written reports or interactive dashboards. We have trained auditors, structured methodologies and use current technologies to ensure outputs are robust and trusted.

Our monitoring service and litter data is for:

Policy makers in Scottish or UK government
Public bodies
Local authorities
Academics and researchers
Non-governmental organisations
Community groups

We are the only organisation with auditors collecting data on our streets and roads in Scotland on litter, looking at prevalence and compositions. We have provided data and reports for the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland, as well as used it to inform our positions and campaigns.

If you would like to discuss our work on litter data on policy or are looking to build evidence on specific litter items please get in touch Brian.Rae@keepscotlandbeautiful.org.

Current examples

Since 2022 we have delivered projects providing data on ground litter aligned to policy in Scotland. These have helped evaluate policies and have, and continue to, form baselines before policies are in force.

Projects have led to private reports to our clients, news stories and published reports.

Packaging

The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 means businesses have to pay the costs of dealing with packaging waste and encourages less packaging and more recycling.

We have been collecting data on packaging to understand how much ends up as ground litter and what items and materials these are. One use of this data has been in our report making the case for the regulations to cover ground litter.

Read the report

Deposit Return Scheme

Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is due to start in October 2027 and will mean people pay a deposit of 20p when buying a single-use drinks container which is received back when that container is returned.

We have been collecting data on single-use drink containers since 2022 which has been used to call for commitment to the scheme and will act as a baseline before it comes in.

Read our news story

Vapes

Since 1 June 2025 single-use vapes have been banned across the UK after campaigns on the environmental impact of these items as well as other negative effects.

We have been collecting data on vaping litter since 2023 and used this data to evidence the problem and can now compare findings before and after the ban.

Read about the ban

We regularly review and update the items we record as ground litter and encourage partnership working. We also chair the Data Management Group, delivering data actions under the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy. This means we are up-to-date on policy and can ensure our data matches national and local requirements.