Last Updated: 17 March 2026
OpenLitterMap is an open-source platform for mapping litter and plastic pollution. It relies on public participation, geotagged images, and open environmental data. Because the platform is open source, our approach to code, data, and privacy can be examined in public at github.com/OpenLitterMap.
OpenLitterMap is a real-time geographic data collection platform built in Cork, Ireland and has been used so far in over 110 countries. After starting the research in 2008, OpenLitterMap launched in 2017 empowering people around the world with the produciton of geographic information who have contributed more than 500,000 geotagged observations with over 850,000 classified tags. The platform has been cited in 98+ peer-reviewed publications including Nature and the World Bank, and has previously been identified as a Digital Public Good by the Digital Public Goods Alliance.
Litter and plastic pollution is the first application of this real-time data collection technology. Custom tags allow contributors to extend the platform to other observations extending our pre-defined list of litter tags to start collecting data about civic issues, biodiversty, etc.
All platform code is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3. You can view, download, learn from, fork, and modify the code. The only obligation is to release modifications under the same licence.
The OpenLitterMap codebase is released under GPLv3. That licence ensures the code remains openly available under GPL terms.
OpenLitterMap is an evolving project. There may be bugs and incomplete features. Development is now largely AI-driven. Not all code has been human-audited yet. Open source reviews and conribution is encouraged.
Version 5 of OpenLitterMap was developed with significant use of AI-assisted coding tools. The codebase remains open to inspection, testing, and improvement by maintainers and contributors.
If you identify an issue, submit it at github.com/OpenLitterMap
All geographic data contributed to OpenLitterMap is licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL). You can use the data for any purpose — research, education, commercial projects, advocacy, journalism — provided you attribute OpenLitterMap and share derivative databases under the same licence.
GPS coordinates (often centimetre-level accuracy), timestamps, pre-defined litter classifications (150+ types), custom tags, brand identifications (1,500+), and whether litter was picked up.
No usernames, names, email addresses, or other personal information. Data downloads are PII-free by design.
If a photo is public and visible on the map, its GPS coordinates and timestamp may be publicly displayed. This supports open environmental monitoring, but it also means contributors should exercise care.
Do not upload from your home, workplace, or private locations unless you are comfortable with that location becoming public. Focus contributions on public and natural environments like towns and beaches.
By default, OpenLitterMap does not display your identity publicly. When an account is created, name and username visibility settings are off, and public profile visibility is off. Your uploads will appear on the global map, but the image will not be visible until it has been reviewed, or until you become a trusted user. Your information will not be visible on any Map, Popup, Leaderboard, Location etc unless you enable them.
Users can manage these settings independently:
- Whether your name or username appears on the map
- Whether your name or username appears on leaderboards
- Whether your profile is publicly visible
- New: Whether your photos are public by default
- New: Visibility of each individual photo
See our Privacy Policy for full details.
To run the service, we need a small amount of account and contribution data:
- Account: Email address and password (required). Username (auto-generated if not provided). Name (optional).
- Content: Images you upload, including EXIF metadata (GPS location, timestamp) if available.
- Tags: Pre-defined and custom litter classifications you apply to each image.
- Teams: Names and details of teams you create or join.
The platform does not require a phone number, date of birth, or home address.
- We do not use IP addresses for user tracking, profiling, or analytics
- We do not use third-party analytics or advertising trackers
- We do not use tracking cookies — only essential session, CSRF, and authentication cookies
- We do not use advertising pixels or third-party tracking scripts
- We do not log referral or destination URLs
- We do not collect clickstream or behavioural data
We load Stripe to process optional payments and Font Awesome for icons. We do not use these services for advertising, analytics, or behavioural profiling.
- Delete any photo you have uploaded.
- Delete your account entirely. This is a permanent deletion — personal information is removed, photos are preserved as anonymous contributions to the open dataset, and leaderboard entries are cleared.
- Not yet working but soon: Export your data.
- Control your visibility through privacy settings — maps, leaderboards, profile, photo defaults, and individual photos.
- Contact info@openlittermap.com for any data request not covered above.
OpenLitterMap is not intended for children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided personal data, we will remove it.
Users aged 13–17 may participate with parental or guardian supervision only.
School teams have additional safeguards implemented in the platform, not stated only as policy:
- All school uploads are private by default and do not appear on the public map, regardless of user settings.
- A teacher must approve each upload before it becomes visible.
- Student identities are automatically masked in public-facing contexts — other users see "Student 1", "Student 2", not real names.
- Teachers and team leaders can see real names for classroom management.
If you are a school, educator, or youth organisation, LitterWeek.org provides guided digital skills training to understand the high-quality real-time data collection purpose of technology.
- Only upload photos of litter or other civic issues. Potholes, graffiti, blocked drains etc are also acceptable.
- Please don't include your feet or shadows in your photos.
- Do collect good quality data — individual items are preferred.
- Please don't collect poor quality data that makes it difficult to verify the contents of the image.
- Do not misuse our APIs, attempt to disrupt the service, or scrape data in violation of our licences.
OpenLitterMap is a rapidly evolving project. Expect changes.
Questions, feedback, or data requests:
Email: info@openlittermap.com Code: github.com/OpenLitterMap Training: LitterWeek.org