Macro-Litter on the Belgian beaches

Welcome to our platform, where we present data on marine litter collected through the Proper Strand Lopers citizen science initiative within its VOOS (Voor Onze Oostendse Stranden) project. This initiative contributes to Belgium's Action Plan on Marine Litter, which seeks to address marine pollution through prevention, monitoring, and cleanup efforts in line with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The Action Plan emphasizes reducing litter at its source, improving waste management, fostering public awareness, and enhancing scientific knowledge through systematic data collection. The data gathered by citizen surveyors provides essential insights into the types and distribution of litter along the Belgian coastline, forming a valuable basis for evidence-based actions and policies.

This website is designed to make the collected data accessible for analysis and interpretation by researchers, policymakers, and the public. By documenting litter distributions and trends over time, the platform supports the objectives of the Action Plan, including reducing marine pollution at its source, protecting coastal ecosystems, and strengthening Belgium's role in international marine conservation efforts. The data presented here underscores the importance of community-led science in addressing global environmental challenges.

The beach litter data are categorized according the Joint List of Litter Categories for Marine Macrolitter Monitoring relying on defined and standardized Jcode terms. Pictures of the litter categories can be discovered on the Online Photo Catalogue of the Joint List. There are 7 material categories and 13 usage categories which data can be discovered on our platform.

The methodology for collecting beach litter data by Proper Strand Lopers involves regular monitoring across 10 beach municipalities, which are visited four times a year. During each visit, volunteers thoroughly clean the beach, collecting all visible litter. Once the litter is gathered, each item is categorized based on Joint List. The volunteers then count the number of items within each category, providing detailed data on the composition and distribution of marine litter.

Beach litter data can be explored on our website, where you can view and download information on litter distribution and trends across different beaches and surveys. APIs are also available to provide web services for accessing the data.