In the State Of Our Beaches 2023 report, over 480,343 litter items were removed from beaches in 2023, and on average there were 167 litter items found per 100m of beach.
66% of beach cleans found metal drinks cans and 52% found glass bottles. The study also found that 940 vapes were found in total, across 42% of inland litter picks.
However, the data shows that there has been an average drop of 80% in carrier bags found washed up on UK beaches.
A need for broader policies
Lizzie Price, beachwatch manager at Marine Conservation Society, said: “It is brilliant to see policies on single-use plastics such as carrier bag charges working. There is no doubt that these policies have been extremely successful in reducing this frequently littered item. But, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels.”
Marine Conservation Society’s volunteer surveys showed nine out of 10 beach litter items are made from plastic.
Price said: “We need broader policies that charge or ban more single-use items where possible such as the proposed deposit return schemes for plastic bottles, cans and glass. We must move quicker towards a society that repairs reuses and recycles.”
Subscribe for free