Campaign win: 80% drop in carrier bags on UK beaches
Our beach clean data has shown an average drop of 80% in carrier bags found washed up on UK beaches.
Following the introduction of charges on carrier bags over the last decade, data from our volunteers has shown the number of carrier bags washed up on beaches is coming down - this is great news! We campaigned for the charges to be introduced across the UK which has led to this reduction.
Lizzie Price, our Beachwatch Manager said, “It is brilliant to see policies on single-use plastics such as carrier bag charges working. There is no doubt that these policies have been extremely successful in reducing this frequently littered item. But we cannot afford to rest on our laurels."
Our volunteer surveys show 9 out of 10 beach litter items are made from plastic, and drinks-related litter, like bottles and cans, were found on 97% of UK beaches surveyed last year.
“We need broader policies that charge or ban more single-use items where possible such as the proposed deposit return schemes for plastic bottles, cans, and glass. We must move quicker towards a society that repairs reuses and recycles.”
We're hoping data from our volunteers this year will show a drop in other litter items that have recently had policies introduced to try and reduce their use, such as single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks, polystyrene cups and food containers.
Our beach litter surveys have been running for 30 years, all year-round, but a third of our data comes from volunteer surveys during our annual Great British Beach Clean.
You can see what our volunteers found on our beaches last year in our 2023 State of our Beaches report.
