Almost 4,500 items of litter removed from north-east's beaches in nationwide survey

Hundreds of kilograms of litter was removed from the north-east's beaches in 2023 as part of a nationwide survey.

In the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) annual beach clean, 14,721 volunteers picked up rubbish from their local beaches and recorded the number of items found within a 100m stretch.

Publishing its annual State of our Beaches report on Wednesday, the charity said half of all litter collected came from public sources – either dumped, blown or washed on to beaches.

Drinks-related litter, such as plastic bottles, caps and cans were one of the most-found items, with an average of 16 found per 100m of beach surveyed – up 14% compared with the charity’s 2022 report.

The charity said that 480,343 items of litter, weighing 37,937lbs (17,208kg), were picked up from the coast overall last year, up 22% from 2022.

Lizzie Price, beachwatch manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “Half of the litter found on our beaches originates from public sources, underscoring the pressing issue of single-use plastic.

“Evidence shows that refillable alternatives and litter return schemes effectively reduce rubbish, as demonstrated by the decline our data has shown in items like plastic bags and disposable cutlery.

“Urgent and decisive action from UK governments is needed to accelerate our shift towards a circular economy, where we reuse, repair and recycle.

“The public needs greater access to refillable products and systems need to be implemented in which manufacturers are responsible for their waste.”

The MCS is also calling for the Government, and devolved governments, to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) as soon as possible.

A Defra spokesperson said: “We are pushing ahead with our programme of reforms to reduce waste and improve our use of resources as part of our goal of eliminating avoidable waste by 2050.

“It’s essential that we work closely with industry to make sure these reforms are a success.

"We are continuing to engage with businesses closely as we proceed with introducing the deposit return scheme.”