Transport Scotland and BEAR Scotland have begun a six-month trial of AI-enabled cameras to detect litter being thrown from vehicles on two major routes in south-east Scotland.
LitterCam AI is being deployed from mid-September on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass and the A1. The system is intended to record incidents involving drivers or passengers, but it cannot currently be used to issue fines.
Potential fines under consultation
Transport Scotland said regulations allowing the registered keepers of vehicles to be fined for litter thrown from a vehicle have not yet been enacted. The organisation expects the proposals to go out for consultation in September, with the rules potentially coming into force in April 2027, subject to the parliamentary timetable.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We are only using LitterCam AI to measure the prevalence of roadside littering. The regulations for fining the registered keepers of vehicles for litter being thrown from a vehicle have yet to be enacted.”
The spokesperson added: “They are expected to go out for consultation this month and potentially come into force in April, depending upon the Parliamentary timetable. Fine levels will be considered as part of that process.”
Roadside litter collection
BEAR Scotland said it had collected 3,018 bags of litter, weighing more than 15 tonnes, from the A720 in the 12 months before the trial.
Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s south-east network manager, said the litter was “an eyesore and an embarrassment” and that the trial could encourage people to reconsider the behaviour.
“Working on high-speed roads comes with risk but the risks during litter picking could be completely avoided if drivers/passengers took litter home,” he said. “The resources invested in picking litter could be ploughed into other tasks that contribute to keeping these strategic routes safe and reliable for the people of Scotland.”
Andrew Kemp, chief executive of LitterCam, said similar projects elsewhere had produced a 40% reduction in verge-side litter. Keep Scotland Beautiful campaigns manager Heather McLaughlin said 90% of people believed roadside litter was an issue.