Millions of plastic bottles choke global waterways

In 2025, the International Coastal Cleanup mobilized over 630,000 volunteers globally, collecting nearly 13.9 million pieces of rubbish from coastlines and waterways. Plastic bottles emerged as the most prevalent item, with over 1.3 million retrieved. This annual event, organized by Ocean Conservancy, underscores the ongoing challenge of plastic pollution impacting marine life and ecosystems.

Dr. Anja Brandon of Ocean Conservancy emphasized the paradox of high plastic bottle recyclability alongside their widespread presence in litter. She advocated for increased recycling access, deposit return schemes, and investments in reuse infrastructure to mitigate this pollution. Allison Schutes highlighted the direct threat plastic ingestion poses to marine animals, citing an albatross fatality from consuming a plastic bottle.

Despite bans and regulations, disposable plastic continues to dominate marine litter. The UK, for instance, sees 13 billion plastic drinks bottles used annually with only half recycled, though a deposit return scheme is anticipated by 2027. Historically, over 439 million items have been collected since the initiative began 40 years ago, with plastic drinks bottles ranking third most common.