Today VITO and River Cleanup are launching the River Watchers project, an innovative citizen science initiative that brings citizens and artificial intelligence (AI) together in the fight against pollution along riverbanks. The principle is simple: anyone with a smartphone can participate. By photographing litter during a walk and uploading the images, every citizen helps to map river pollution. Thanks to AI, even small and difficult-to-detect litter is now being made visible for the first time. With the collected insights, governments and organizations can take more targeted action.
River Watchers not only registers the presence of litter, but also provides in-depth insight into the type, quantity, and location. VITO's AI model not only recognizes large objects such as PET bottles or cans, but also detects mesoplastics for the first time: particles between 5 and 25 mm, such as cigarette butts, pieces of foil, or plastic pellets. This is an important innovation, because this type of litter is often difficult to remove and hard to register during traditional cleanup actions. Moreover, they play an important role in the spread of microplastics, which are even harder to eliminate. This is the world's first citizen science project that uses AI to detect mesoplastics along riverbanks. Until now, similar research has mainly taken place on beaches or in marine contexts.
'The project is a perfect symbiosis between innovation and citizen participation. Images speak. They show us reality as it is and without detours. Thanks to artificial intelligence, we recognize even the smallest piece of litter in photos. This delivers sharp, detailed data with which we not only inform citizens and government, but also truly motivate them to take action,' says Arne Van Overloop, remote sensing AI expert at VITO.
From smartphone to litter detective
River Watchers uses game elements or gamification to motivate participants. For each piece of litter photographed, a dot is placed on an interactive map. Participants earn trash tokens per uploaded photo, which puts them on a leaderboard that shows the most active participants with a ranking: the so-called trash hunters or litter detectives. The strength of River Watchers lies in the unique combination of AI technology, citizen science, and game elements. Together they form an accessible and motivating tool for behavioral change and valuable data on a large scale, including litter that has often remained under the radar until now, such as mesoplastics. With the project, VITO and River Cleanup want to mobilize at least 1,000 citizens spread across all of Belgium to map as much litter as possible. This creates a detailed picture of where and what type of litter occurs.
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Two types of participants, one common goal
In addition, a select group of 100 participants will regularly walk the same routes in specific zones. The first focus zones are Brussels, Liège, and Antwerp. These repeated observations provide scientifically substantiated insights into trends and developments: how much litter there is, which type occurs most frequently, and how this changes over time. This makes it easier for governments, companies, and organizations to take concrete measures to tackle pollution. Cleaning up is certainly allowed, but is not mandatory. The focus is on gathering data quickly and in large quantities; organized cleanup actions will follow later.
'We want to show that behavioral change is possible thanks to a smart combination of technology, games, and social engagement. Today, 1 in 5 Flemish people still leave litter behind. It is therefore crucial to mobilize people in a positive way. By involving as many people as possible in the fight against litter, we make a tangible difference together. The data we collect are not non-committal: they give governments and companies a clear mandate. They support policy measures such as deposit schemes and EPR (extended producer responsibility), where producers and brands also pay for the waste they put into circulation.' - Thomas de Groote, founder and CEO of River Cleanup.
From drone to smartphone
River Watchers builds on the previously acclaimed citizen science project Waste Watchers, in which River Cleanup and VITO called on citizens to map litter on riverbanks with their drones. More than 9,000 images were then analyzed using AI, resulting in a map with litter hotspots and two Geospatial Awards. Now the technology literally goes into the hands of citizens, via the smartphone. Very accessible, low-threshold, and without the need for additional equipment.
Selected by citizens, supported by Flanders
River Watchers originated within amai!, an initiative of the Flemish Knowledge Centre for Citizen Science and the Knowledge Centre Data and Society, which invites citizens to come up with innovative AI solutions for social challenges. River Watchers was selected as one of three winners from 33 submissions. In 2024, Minister-President Matthias Diependaele and Flemish Minister of Innovation awarded the project 125,000 euros in support.
'We see a lot of interest in developing AI applications and deploying them with social added value. We notice this among citizens, civil society, and software developers alike. With the amai! project, we want to respond to this by involving citizens from the very beginning of the process, from idea to implementation, so that AI solutions emerge that are truly supported and relevant.' - Neena Singh from the Knowledge Centre Data & Society
Practical - Become a River Watcher yourself!
Participating is simple:
Go out in your neighborhood, along a river, stream, canal, or simply in a natural environment or city.
Turn on your location on your smartphone and take photos of litter during the measurement period between June 26 and September 20 (World Cleanup Day)
Upload your images via www.riverwatchers.be
About VITO
With 1,300 employees, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), as a leading European research center, transforms scientific insights into groundbreaking technological innovations, AI solutions, and policy advice. We do this with one objective: to give our world a future to look forward to. At VITO, we mobilize the power of science, technology, digitalization, and collaboration to valorize sustainable solutions worldwide, so that we can continue to combine well-being and prosperity. www.vito.be