Food and drink related litter dominates global plastic pollution

A new study led by the University of Plymouth reveals the most common types of marine litter worldwide

Food and drink related litter dominates global plastic pollution

A new study led by the University of Plymouth reveals the most common types of marine litter worldwide

Dave Shuttleworth

Head of Corporate Communications

Corporate Communications (Marketing and Communications)

20 May 2026

A new study, led by the University of Plymouth, has revealed the dominant items of marine litter across seven continents, nine ocean systems, 13 regional seas and 112 nations, representing 86% of the global population.

Experts brought together and evaluated more than 5,000 beach litter surveys, to generate the world’s first overview of marine litter by usage type.

Their analysis shows that food and beverage related plastics dominate shoreline debris globally, with them ranking among the top three most abundant usage types in 93% of countries, including the UK and the world’s top five most populated nations – India, China, the USA, Indonesia, and Pakistan.

Specifically, plastic food packaging, caps/lids, and plastic bottles were among the top-ranked individual items in more than half of all nations. And they are followed by plastic bags and cigarette butts as the next most prevalent items.

An estimated 20 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the environment each year.

Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS, founder and head of the University of Plymouth’s International Marine Litter Research Unit, co-authored the report with academics from Indonesia and the UK, including Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Dr Max Kelly.

They say it is now clear that waste management alone is unable to address the challenge of plastic pollution, and urgent measures are needed to reduce the quantities of plastics produced. Those measures could, for example, include ensuring that only plastics which bring essential benefit to society are produced.

Plastic pollution is a global environmental problem that has major detrimental impacts on the environment, economies and human health.

This study identifies for the first time the most abundant categories of debris at national, regional, and global scales, indicating not only where to prioritise interventions, but also which specific types of items to focus on. The research provides critical evidence to guide industry and policy on specific points of focus needed to address plastic pollution. For example, our research indicates actions on food and beverage related plastics are a key priority across 93% of nations worldwide.

Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS
Professor in Marine Biology

The evidence for action on plastic pollution in our oceans and seas is now undeniable. Compiling a harmonised dataset of this scale was a complex, years-long undertaking, but it has allowed us to map the most abundant items across global shorelines like never before.

My time researching with the International Marine Litter Research Unit at the University of Plymouth has been a true highlight of my career, and I'm incredibly proud that our hard work is now published and ready to be used as a practical tool for global change.

Dr Max Kelly
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and the study’s lead author

Dr Max Kelly and Professor Richard Thompson

The University of Plymouth-led research was conducted as part of the £3.8 million PISCES project, which is led by Brunel University of London and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.

This study shows why plastic pollution cannot be solved by waste management alone. Across very different national contexts, including Indonesia, the same short-lived food and beverage plastics repeatedly dominate shoreline pollution. Through our project Plastics in Indonesian Societies (PISCES), UK Global Challenges Research Fund support has helped turn place-based research into globally relevant evidence, showing that upstream solutions – reduction, reuse, better packaging design and stronger policy – are essential if we are to prevent plastic pollution at source.

Professor Susan Jobling
Director of the PISCES project and Director of the Institute of Environment, Health, and Societies at Brunel University of London

Global patterns of plastic litter by usage type: food and beverage

The full study – Kelly et al.: Food and beverage plastics dominate global shorelines: A harmonized rank-based assessment of usage types to guide interventions – is published in One Earth, DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2026.101712.

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