Roadside Litter: A Developer Turns a Phone Into a Litter Dashcam

Robin Bennett, who runs a software company in Telford, England, has built an app called Roadside Litter that turns a smartphone into a dashcam for rubbish. Mounted on a car dashboard, the phone automatically spots litter along the roadside, classifies it and uploads the results. The tool has already collected more than 3,000 reports in Shropshire and over 28,000 across the UK.

How it works

According to Bennett, the driver simply starts the app and does nothing more. The software takes a photo every 10 seconds, analyses it for litter on the verge, sorts what it finds and sends the data to a platform. The screen switches off after about a minute, so it does not distract the driver.

Images are scored using reports from different drivers, roads and days, which allows the results to be compared and added together. Because the data comes from drivers themselves, it updates as the app is used.

Where the problem is worst

Bennett says litter is especially common near small convenience stores, fast-food outlets and motorway-style service areas. He puts this down to people finishing a meal and throwing the bag out of the window.

The idea began when Bennett, who said he felt depressed by the amount of rubbish on the roads, wanted to know whether the problem was local or national. He contacted the campaign group Clean Up Britain to ask how he could help, and the app grew out of that conversation.

What comes next

Bennett shares the data with Clean Up Britain, hoping it will push authorities to act. Shropshire Council told the BBC it recognises the importance of keeping its roads clean and attractive. A spokesperson also said the council has contacted National Highways, the government-owned company that manages the road network, about ways to improve litter management on the A5 and A49, two of the county's busiest roads.