From monitoring to mitigation: A practical roadmap for cities to reduce local riverine litter pollution
Online webinar
Date: 27 August 2026
Time: 09:30–10:30 (CEST)
Free registration
An estimated 80% of marine litter originates from land-based activities, with rivers and waterways acting as major pathways transporting waste from our cities to the sea. This means that cities located along rivers and waterways have a unique opportunity to stop litter before it reaches the Baltic Sea.
But where should efforts begin? Which measures are most effective? And how can municipalities work together with businesses and other local stakeholders to create lasting impact?
In this webinar, we will present the Mitigation Roadmap developed through the Circular Ocean-bound Plastic (COP) project. Based on experiences from the COP pilot cities, the roadmap provides a practical, step-by-step approach to help municipalities and local stakeholders identify litter hotspots, understand the sources of pollution, select appropriate mitigation measures and evaluate their impact.
Through practical examples and lessons learned, participants will gain concrete tools and inspiration to support local action. All participants will receive the complete Mitigation Roadmap and accompanying COP publications, providing practical guidance and examples that can be used to support local planning, collaboration and implementation long after the webinar has ended.
The webinar is relevant for municipalities, ports, waste management companies, businesses, NGOs, researchers and anyone working to prevent plastic pollution from reaching rivers, the Baltic Sea and beyond.
What you’ll learn
During the webinar, we’ll guide you through a practical roadmap for tackling river litter:
- Find your hotspots: Learn how to identify litter hotspots and the most common types of litter.
- Identify the sources: Understand where the litter comes from and how stakeholder engagement can help uncover the pathways.
- Choose the right measures: Explore practical mitigation measures and learn how to select solutions that fit your local context.
- Learn from real-world experience: Hear how a municipality has turned monitoring into action and the lessons learned along the way.
- Implement, monitor and adapt: Discover what it takes to achieve lasting impact and why monitoring is key to continuous improvement.
By joining the webinar, you’ll receive:
- A practical framework for tackling river litter in your city.
- Inspiration and lessons learned from real-life experiences in the Baltic Sea region.
- The complete Mitigation Roadmap and supporting COP publications to use in your own work.