The European app MLW for tablets and smart phones has been developed by the EEA and is freely available on the internet, to be used as a tool for the recording of beach litter in a standard and harmonized way during voluntary activities.

The events and the data collected by volunteers all over Europe by means of this app, as well as relevant statistical figures and diagrams, are accessible via an open online map and may be deployed for the monitoring and assessment of the environmental status of European seas, according to the mandates of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The particular objectives of this year’s workshop were the following, among others:

• to provide information on the results of the first 2 marine litter monitoring campaigns “Marine Litter Watch Month” in 2016 and 2017,
• to plan the 3rd campaign scheduled for this September, aiming at an expanded engagement of volunteers,
• to discuss the appropriate practices for training volunteers on the methodology for beach litter monitoring, in order to make them capable of collecting high quality and reliable data, suitable for utilization at a next level (e.g. incorporation into environmental indexes, supplement current and future European and regional policies, such as the new EU strategy on plastics),
• to share experiences gathered from the use of the app up to this day, with a view to detect any problems and to further improve it, and
• to explore the possibility of using the app for litter surveys in other aquatic environments as well, such as lake and river banks.

Volunteers participating in the "Let's Cleanup Europe" Campaign (4-25 May 2018) coordinated in Greece by HELMEPA, and wishing to use MLW in their clean-up event, are welcome to contact our Environmental Sector (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. phone +30 210 9343088) for more information and instructions.