Beach clean-up surveys expose 17% rise in litter on Scottish coastline

The amount of litter found strewn on Scottish beaches in 2023 was up by 17 per cent on the previous year, surveys have revealed.

Results from Beachwatch clean-ups run by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) show an average of 188 items were found on every 100m-stretch of Scotland’s coastline searched by the volunteers.

Plastic and polystyrene cups were recorded in 58 per cent of places covered.

Single-use plastic drinks bottles, caps and lids and packets were among the top-five most commonly discovered discarded items, with metal drinks cans coming in tenth place.

Sanitary waste was seen on nearly three quarters of shores MCS studied. And more than 15,000 wet wipes were collected during the surveys – however, this represents a 50 per cent decrease from 2022.

Discarded fishing and aquaculture gear was discovered on 18 per cent of all Scottish beaches examined, but such items made up almost half of all trash picked up on the shores of the country’s islands – more than five times higher than the average proportion on mainland beaches.

The largest ever team of litter-picking MCS volunteers turned out last year in the islands – more than double the number who helped out in 2022.

Beachwatch surveys are carried out across the UK and Channel Islands annually, and have been building up a sizable bank of data over the past 30 years.

MCS volunteers cleared 17,208kgs of litter nationwide in 2023, with analysis showing a 14 per cent rise in the quantity of drinks-related items.

Inland litter-picks are also carried out, with plastic bottles and lids present at 92 per cent of sites.

Disposable vapes, or e-cigarettes, added to the list

of trash counted for the first time last year. A total of 940 of these plastic items were found, affecting 42 per cent of areas searched.

The latest results highlight the urgent need for dramatic political measures to cut the amount of garbage being dumped in the natural environment, according to Catherine Gemmell, Scotland conservation officer at the MCS.

The charity is campaigning for a deposit return system for drinks containers, and pushed for the ban on plastic in single-use wet wipes, which is yet to come into effect.

“Over 3,000 volunteers collected vital data from across Scotland last year, showing the need to cut the amount of single-use plastic we use, and curb sewage pollution,” Gemmell says.

“Thanks to more volunteers taking part in the islands we now have a clearer idea of the sorts of litter washing up in these areas, which differs from the mainland.

“Data provides us with valuable information that we can use in collaboration with coastal communities, industry, and government to reduce the amount of litter turning up on Scottish beaches.”