The Hidden Benefits of Litter-Picking
CleanupUK is proud to announce the completion of the pilot phase of its study into the carbon-saving benefits of litter-picking. Supported by Professor Alistair Munro, Professor of Economics at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, the study explores how collecting and correctly disposing of litter can reduce carbon (and other greenhouse gas) emissions that contribute to climate change and global warming.
In 2024 and 2025, CleanupUK conducted pilot data collections with two corporate volunteer groups and two community litter-picking groups. Following analysis, all four datasets showed positive carbon savings, ranging from 0.17 kg to 1.25 kg of CO₂ equivalent per bag of litter collected.
The variation in savings is due to differences in how each volunteer travelled to the litter-pick, the weight of the litter bags collected, and the proportion of litter that was recyclable or burnable (as incineration remains a common practice among local authorities).
Based on the data collected, CleanupUK litter-picks saved an estimated 11,000 kg of CO₂ equivalent from entering the atmosphere in 2024. This is roughly equal to the emissions produced by one person taking two return flights from London to Sydney, plus a return flight from London to New York.
By working together to clean up local areas, small individual actions can add up to create a significant positive impact—helping to protect communities, wildlife, and the environment.
Every litter-pick counts so please log your CleanupUK Hub litter-picks here so we can calculate your carbon savings.
A massive thank you to all the volunteers who supported the pilot data collection. We look forward to continuing this important research, gathering more data, and deepening our understanding of the carbon-saving benefits of litter-picking.