Luxembourg has launched a new litter awareness campaign, entitled "Offall kann deidlech sinn - Gehei näischt an Natur" ("litter can be deadly, don't throw it away in nature").
On Saturday 6 April 2019, the Minister of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, Carole Dieschbourg, presented the launch of the anti-littering multimedia awareness campaign for Luxembourg.
Every year, tonnes of rubbish are left along roads, hiking trails and parks across the Grand Duchy. Many people throw their rubbish without thinking of the consequences and yet, it was found that half of these acts of littering are made a few metres from a non-full bin. Cigarette butts, empty packaging (such as tins and fast-food packaging) and chewing gum are among the most abandoned or discarded items. Littering concerns society as a whole regardless of age, sex or background.
The Environment Ministry has thus emphasised that littering can cause serious problems. Not only does it affect the visual appearance of a city or the natural landscape, but some litter such as shards of glass can pose a risk of infection or injury to children and pets, leading to a risk of ingestion or suffocation for animals and especially for livestock. In addition, plastic waste is degraded into microplastics (<5mm) that accumulate in the bodies of living beings and harm both human and animal health and are carried by rivers to the sea. Indeed, it is estimated that 100 to 142 million tonnes of waste are found in the oceans.
In addition, cleaning up littering costs the public sector some €1.2 million per year, 90% of which are personnel costs. Municipal and private cleaning actions are not included in these calculations; he cost of the municipal sector can also be estimated at around €1.2 million.
It is reminded that littering in the wild is illegal and subject to fines ranging from €49 to € 250. In 2018 and early 2019, the Grand Ducal Police and the Customs and Excise Administration (ADA) issued a total of 227 fines, for a total amount of €32,916.
