The city of Amsterdam initiated plastic monitoring activities on March 3, 2022, as part of the city’s baseline assessment, using the Debris Tracker app for data collection activities, and a group of citizen scientist volunteers.
The city’s monitoring activities are mapped across 22 locations and over 7 city districts, with a plastic monitoring list comprised of 34 unique items. The initial monitoring events will be used as a baseline reference, with repeat monitoring activities scheduled over the course of the year to assess changes in behavior, related plastic litter volumes, and new measures for assessing the success of city interventions.
Amsterdam is once again taking a leading role by using the Debris Tracker app to validate the application’s added value for other Plastic Smart Cities to follow. They are also following the PSC Baseline Assessment and Monitoring Guideline to gather information on current conditions in which the city seeks to change, providing a critical reference point for assessing changes and impact over time, and for making inferences as to the effectiveness of the initiative.
Debris Tracker was developed in 2010 as a free tool by the NOAA Marine Debris Program and the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia. The tool is now led by the University of Georgia, and in partnership with National Geographic Society. If you are a citizen scientist or a city interested in monitoring plastic waste in your region, please reach out to the Debris Tracker team of researchers to get started.
