A new study has compiled the results of 5,000 beach litter collections from all continents, nine ocean systems and 112 countries.
The analysis shows that plastic from food and drink dominates beach litter globally. Plastic food packaging, lids and plastic bottles are among the most common individual items in more than half of all countries, followed by plastic bags and cigarette butts.
Around 20 million tons of plastic waste end up in nature every year and the researchers behind the study point out that waste management alone is not enough, but that measures are needed to reduce the amount of plastic produced.
The study is published in the journal One Earth.
