Cigarette butts and plastic bottles: These are the most common types of trash found on the world's coastlines.

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Cindy Mutia Annur 09/06/2023 16:25 WIB

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The Ocean Conservancy's annual report indicates that 9.76 million pieces of trash were found on the world's coastlines in 2021. The majority of this was food packaging.

10 Types of Trash Most Commonly Found on Global Coastlines (2021)

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10 Types of Trash Most Commonly Found on Global Coastlines (2021)

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The latest annual report from Ocean Conservancy reveals that 9.76 million pieces of trash were found on the world's coastlines in 2021. These millions of pieces of trash were collected by over 318,000 volunteers from various countries worldwide.

The volume of this trash reached 2.53 million kilograms (kg), stretching 27.19 kilometers (km) in length.

Food wrappers constituted the majority of the trash found, totaling 1.34 million units or 13.74% of the total collected waste.

Cigarette butts ranked second, with 1.13 million units.

“If stacked end-to-end, the collected cigarette butts would be longer than the Panama Canal,” stated Ocean Conservancy.

Plastic waste also remains a major pollutant of global coastlines, including beverage bottles, bottle caps, plastic bags, straws, and plastic cups or plates.

The following are the 10 most commonly found types of trash on global coastlines in 2021:

1. Food wrappers: 1.34 million units
2. Cigarette butts: 1.13 million units
3. Beverage bottles (plastic): 849,320 units
4. Other trash (Clean Swell)*: 613,970 units
5. Bottle caps (plastic): 613,970 units
6. Shopping bags (plastic): 415,240 units
7. Beverage bottles (glass): 304,330 units
8. Drink cans: 267,180 units
9. Straws/stirrers: 260,390 units
10. Cups/plates (plastic): 245,960 units

Furthermore, Ocean Conservancy's findings indicate that numerous small pieces of trash also pollute global coastlines. Small trash is defined as debris less than 2.5 centimeters (cm) in size.

The following details the small trash found on global coastlines by volunteers throughout 2021:

* Plastic fragments: 1.16 million units
* Foam fragments: 221,130 units
* Glass fragments: 105,540 units

Editor : Erlina Fury Santika

"Disclosure: This is an AI-generated translation of the original article. We strive for accuracy, but please note that automated translations may contain errors or slight inconsistencies."

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Cigarette butts and plastic bottles: These are the most common types of trash found on the world's coastlines.

Cigarette butts and plastic bottles: These are the most common types of trash found on the world's coastlines.

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Cigarette butts and plastic bottles: These are the most common types of trash found on the world's coastlines.

Cigarette butts and plastic bottles: These are the most common types of trash found on the world's coastlines.

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Related Data

10 Regions with the Cleanest Evening Air (Dec 6) in Indonesia

Mount Ibu Erupts Again This Afternoon (Saturday, December 6, 2025)

Prevalence of Inadequate Food Consumption in Cilacap Decreased by 1.39% in the Last Year

Number of Moderately Damaged Houses due to Natural Disasters in Indonesia 2015-2024

Area of Rice Fields, Land, and Plantations in Indonesia Damaged by Floods 2020-2024

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