For the first time, researchers compiled global data on plastic waste on coastlines and identified food and drink-related plastics as the most prevalent type of litter found in 93% of countries, concluding with an appeal for better waste management practices and individual behavior modifications.
Global study finds wrappers, bottles and lids on shorelines of 93% of countries analysed as UN talks to tackle issue stall Plastic food wrappers, bottles, lids and caps are by far the most common items of litter found on the world’s shorelines, a study has found.
“It’s the everyday stuff that we’re using,” said Richard Thompson, the founder of the University of Plymouth’s international marine litter research unit. “Even in countries with fairly advanced waste management, those are the dominant items on the shoreline. ” He said he was not surprised to see lots of single-use plastics in the data, but the fact those items turned up so consistently along coastlines across all seven continents had taken him aback.
, the researchers looked at data from hundreds of studies and sources, searching for surveys of shoreline litter that were similar in methodology and provided data on the type of litter recorded. Their confidence in the figures for each country was based on how many studies they found for that country and other factors. The information they collected spanned 94 countries, and the team was able to extrapolate from that data to include estimates for another 18 countries.
Food and drink-related plastics turned up in coastal litter in 93% of those places. No other form of litter was as prevalent.
The study also noted that a ban on plastic bags did not necessarily mean a country had less of such waste – poor policy enforcement or other countriesThe study did not include microplastics or unidentifiable plastics, but the authors noted these tended to originate from larger, identifiable plastic litter.in October after allegations of behind-the-scenes pressure from the UN’s environment programme, which is overseeing the talks. It also emerged this month that the programme’s largest donor, Norway, was Thompson said policymakers could address plastic pollution by ensuring plastics were only used for essential purposes, and that people could increasingly opt for refillable food and drink containers.
He added that the study’s global overview of the plastic pollution problem could guide policymakers in their efforts to mitigate it. Tamara Galloway, a professor of ecotoxicology at the University of Exeter, who was not involved in the study, noted that current economic models tended to treat many forms of plastic as disposable. She said: “If we reframed it as ‘plastic-lost-value’, we might get on better with the policymakers.
We’ve got this hugely valuable material and we’re just throwing it away all over the place. ”Germany was largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025, sending 810,000 tonnes overseas, analysis findsStern warning: one man’s mission to clear the rotting boats poisoning Cornwall’s creeksPlastic-free cutting boards and $17 bike lights: 11 things you loved in MarchWhy are onions turning up on Brighton beach?
Pollution Plastic Waste Plastic Waste Wrappers Bottles Lids Coastlines Countries Studies Methodology Food And Drink-Related Plastics Microplastics
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