In general, Danish roads are clean compared to other places in Europe. Yet drivers left 800 tons of garbage along the national roads last year. Everything from ice cream wrappers to pizza trays are thrown out of the car window.
At least 20 million kroner is spent annually on collecting garbage from the roads nationwide, says project manager Charles Lykke Hansen from the Danish Road Directorate.
Littering along roads in Denmark—especially with things like plastic, bottles, fast food packaging, and cigarette butts—is a recurring problem.
Highways and major roads often accumulate litter, especially near rest stops, exits, and parking areas. Fast food wrappers and drink cans are some of the most common types of waste found.
Despite Denmark’s clean reputation, littering is still a concern—partly due to carelessness. Danish environmental groups and municipalities regularly organize cleanup campaigns, and there’s a strong volunteer culture around this. By 2025, 130,000 children from schools and daycare centers will have collected litter in nature and contributed to a cleaner Denmark.
Did you know that Denmark is among the EU countries that produce the most household waste per capita? Fortunately, a large part of it is recycled – and that is not the waste we find on the roadside.
According to a survey, 91% of Danes think it is wrong to throw garbage out of the car and onto the road. Still, littering is a recurring problem.
