Single-use plastic waste increased on UK and Channel Island beaches last year with items such as crisp packets and bottle tops polluting the coast at the rate of almost two items a sq metre, according to data from beach cleanups.
The amount of plastic waste collected on beaches rose by 9.5% in 2024, compared with 2023, and more than three-quarters of a million pieces of waste were picked up by volunteers, according to evidence from the State of our Beaches report by the Marine Conservation Society.
The charity said nearly half (46%) of the plastic waste was from public sources – household litter washing its way into our seas via rivers, drainage and sewage outlets, or blown or dropped on to our coastline.
Lizzie Price, the beachwatch manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “Thanks to over 15,000 volunteers last year, the data from our beach cleans is clear: plastic pollution remains a huge problem for our marine environment.
“We urgently need more policies to reduce single-use plastics and ensure better waste management. Everyone has a role to play in protecting our oceans, and we urge the public to support stronger action against plastic waste, as well as cut down plastic from their everyday use.”
A global treaty on cutting plastic waste has yet to be completed after fossil fuel countries and industry lobbyists pushed back on cuts to global plastic production.
Talks are due to resume in Geneva this August, where there are hopes that more than 100 countries will succeed in signing a treaty that includes caps on production.
Among the most frequently recorded waste found on beaches last year were plastic caps and lids, which were collected from 88% of beaches, and plastic bottles and containers, which appeared on 71% of surveyed sites.
The Marine Conservation Society said it was hopeful that the much-delayed plastic bottle deposit return scheme (DRS), due to start in October 2027, would help reduce the number of discarded plastic bottles and related waste in the future. The DRS was first promised in 2018 but successive governments have delayed its implementation.
Last year more than 15,000 people took part in the beach cleanups across 92 miles of beaches in the UK and Channel Islands. The numbers of volunteers and hours were balanced out in order to calculate the percentage rise year on year.
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One item which has decreased is plastic bags. Since the introduction of charges for carrier bags there has been an 88% decrease in them being found on beaches.
The charity said this showed how policy interventions could curb plastic waste and said consumers needed more options to buy items in refillable and reusable containers to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution.
Plastics endanger marine life through ingestion, entanglement and toxic contamination. Seabirds, seals and fish often mistake plastic for food, leading to internal injuries, starvation and even death.
Microplastics – tiny particles that come from broken-down plastic – are now present in the ocean and food chain, posing a long-term threat to wildlife and human health. Microplastics are now increasingly contaminating the human brain.
