Study: Plastic pollution on UK beaches rises by 10 per cent

clock • 3 min read
Credit: iStock
Image:

Credit: iStock

Three quarters of a million pieces of plastic litter were collected by Marine Conservation Society volunteers in 2023, equating to two pieces of litter per every metre of beach

The amount of plastic litter that washed up on UK beaches increased by nearly 10 per cent last year, according to a new study by the Marine Conservation Society. In the charity's annual State of our...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

Author spotlight

Amber Rolt

View profile
More from Amber Rolt

IEA: Electricity use from AI data centres surged 50 per cent in 2025

'In this for the long haul': John Lewis Partnership slashes Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 40 per cent

More on Waste

'Practical change': Top brands launch new UK Packaging Pact
Waste

'Practical change': Top brands launch new UK Packaging Pact

100 founding signatories from across the retail, food, and packaging sectors vow to work together to curb waste levels and boost recycling rates

James Murray
James Murray
clock 22 April 2026 • 3 min read
'National crisis': More than 13 billion pieces of fruit and veg packaging thrown away or burned annually
Waste

'National crisis': More than 13 billion pieces of fruit and veg packaging thrown away or burned annually

Campaigners call on government to set new target to remove plastic packaging from uncut fruit and vegetables by 2030

Stuart Stone
Stuart Stone
clock 22 April 2026 • 4 min read
The war on waste has never been more urgent, or necessary
Waste

The war on waste has never been more urgent, or necessary

Amid extraordinary geopolitical instability, the question businesses should be asking is: what if we made the most of what we already have? writes Olio CEO and co-founder Tessa Clarke

Tessa Clarke, Olio
clock 08 April 2026 • 5 min read