Press Release – Antwerp, April 22, 2026
Belgian nonprofit River Cleanup today launches a bold new campaign developed together with marketing students from Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences: “Send Dirty Pics.” Together, they’re tossing traditional, recycled environmental messaging right where it belongs, in the right bin.
With Send Dirty Pics, River Cleanup and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) are encouraging young people to share photos of litter through the citizen science platform Riverwatchers.be. River Cleanup is launching the campaign on Earth Day, a symbolic moment when attention around the world turns to the health of our planet.
A cheeky name, a clear purpose
“We didn’t want to do another overly polite campaign,” says Thomas De Groote, Founder and CEO of River Cleanup. “We started from a simple question: how do you make litter visible again to people who scroll past hundreds of awareness posts every day? You have to dare to play with language, culture, and format.”
Show us your trashy side
To reach younger audiences effectively, River Cleanup partnered with final-year marketing students at Karel de Grote University in Antwerp. During Responsible Marketing Week, they dreamed up the concept behind Send Dirty Pics.
One of the jurors was Sven Van Hooydonck, Creative Director at Berlin Creative Studio. He and his team refined the idea and developed the campaign pro bono.
“This project is rooted in real behavior, and that’s what drew us in,” says Van Hooydonck. “People scroll mindlessly. Send Dirty Pics aims to break that habit and repackage citizen science in language that speaks to young people.”
From photo to impact
River Watchers, developed by River Cleanup and VITO, is a citizen science initiative where everyday people collect data alongside researchers. Through www.riverwatchers.be, anyone can upload photos of trash found along rivers or city streets.
Artificial intelligence then analyzes the images, mapping what kinds of waste appear where: from cans and packaging to tiny pieces like cigarette butts that usually go unnoticed. These insights reveal recurring patterns and help policymakers address structural solutions such as deposit schemes and extended producer responsibility.
Out in the open
River Cleanup has deliberately chosen Earth Day as the moment to launch the campaign, a symbolic day when global attention turns to the health of our planet. The campaign goes live on April 22 across 400 digital screens throughout Belgium thanks to media partner JCDecaux, and will also appear on Facebook and Instagram.
“Out-of-home advertising is the perfect channel to literally bring the message into public space,” says Thierry Desmedt, Co-CEO of JCDecaux Belgium. “For a campaign like Send Dirty Pics, that visibility is key — it connects directly to what people encounter on the streets.” Outdoor retailer A.S. Adventure also supports the initiative with in-store screen placements.
Learn more
For more information on the campaign and how to upload your own photo, visit www.riverwatchers.be. Participants also have the chance to win a duo ticket for Paradise City Festival.
About River Cleanup
River Cleanup started in 2017 with a ten minute cleanup and grew to a global organization with 325.000 volunteers active in more than ten countreis. The Belgian Non-Profit works to free rivers of plastic. Its Focus? Empowering people and reducing pollution through preventative and reactive strategies. Campaign partners include Keytrade Bank, JCDecaux, Naiad Foundation, Delhaize, A.S.Adventure, AXA, Multi Masters Group, SumUp, Zoetis and Volkswagen Belgium
Discover more news in the River Cleanup Newsroom
https://www.river-cleanup.org/en/news
Press Contact
Aurélie Cordier
PR Manager
aurelie.cordier@river-cleanup.org
+32 485 19 28 15
Thomas de Groote
CEO en founder River Cleanup
thomas@river-cleanup.org
+32 478 44 46 10