With recycling increasing and less litter being dropped by the seaside, plastic pollution might finally be decreasing in the UK.
Just 385 items of litter were found per stretch of beach this year – down from 558 in 2019 – according to national litter-picking event The Great British Beach Clean.
And plastic recycling rose 4 per cent last year, according to a survey by sustainability charity Recoup.
This is an important victory for Daily Mail, which has been campaigning to end plastic pollution since long.
Just 385 items of litter were found per stretch of beach this year – down from 558 in 2019 – according to national litter-picking event The Great British Beach Clean
This means that I advocate for deposit returns and the introduction of charges on single-use plastic bags.
The drop in numbers was not enough to stop charities warning that there is still much to be done to meet Government targets.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS), which organises the beach clean, said that plastic and polystyrene remain the most common types of litter – accounting for 75 per cent of seaside waste.
Among the most popular items across the nation were sweet and crisp packets as well as plastic caps or lids.
Furthermore, nearly three out of every four beaches were found with PPE such as gloves and face masks.
However the number of cotton bud sticks collected fell to its lowest level in the event’s 28-year history – with only six found on average.
The MCS said this was ‘likely’ due to policies banning the items, which were introduced in Scotland in 2019 and in England last year.
Numbers of single-use plastic bags also continued to drop, from a high of 13 in 2013 down to just three this year.
The MCS’s Lizzie Prior said: ‘The ongoing downward trend we’re seeing in litter levels on UK beaches is a positive sign that the actions we’re taking at a personal, local and national level are working.
‘But we can’t sit back and relax. Now is the time for even more ambitious action.’
Recoup echoed her calls, stating that although there was progress, the UK still had some way to go.
Its survey estimated that 584,000 tons of household plastic packaging were collected for recycling last year – an increase of 24,000 tons (4 per cent) on 2019.
However the UK will need to double this amount so as to meet the Goverment’s target of recycling 70 per cent of plastic packaging by 2025.
Around 75 per cent of drinks bottles made out of clear PET plastic – including water bottles – were recycled. 78% of the plastic milk bottles could be recycled.
But only one third of the plastic pots, tubs and dishes were recycled.