Do you know the 10 most common litter items found in our oceans?

Here, you can find all the figures reported back to us by Ocean Initiatives volunteers from their litter cleanups. These figures relate to Europe and are updated in real time. They highlight the main types of litter found on Europe’s beaches, lakes and rivers.

Based on 635 report forms completed by 1551 cleanups organised in 2024

366 341Tobacco products with filters

96 701Pieces of polystyrene 2,5-50 cm

84 513Fishing : nets and ropes (Ø < 1cm)

81 199Pieces of plastic 2,5-50 cm

35 124Plastic bags and pieces

27 718Plastic bottle caps

22 973Food packaging

20 999Confectionery packets and wrappers

20 749Glass pieces / ceramic pieces

19 117Bottle caps