Every year, the Marine Conservation Society analyses and collates all the recorded litter data gathered by volunteers to produce an annual report on marine litter on UK beaches.
Discover our annual findings
Check out the beachwatch dashboard
Over the past 31 years, our volunteers have been collecting important data on the types and amounts of litter found on the UK and Channel Islands’ coastline, which we’ve used to campaign for positive change. Now, you can take a closer look at what they’ve found with our new interactive dashboard.
How do we use our State of Beaches reports
The data we collect is vital; it allows us to determine the success and influence of litter pollution policies year on year, discover the most regularly seen type of litter found on beaches and ultimately helps us campaign for change to reduce beach pollution.
We use these findings as evidence to lobby governments for legislative change, influence industry practices and to drive our campaigns.
Not only has the annual ‘State of Beaches’ report shown the impact of volunteers on our beaches, but it has also been fundamental in bringing impactful change to the UK. From the introduction of the carrier bag charge (2015) and the banning of microplastics in personal care products (2017), to the recent bans in single-use plastic items and plastic in wet wipes, our State of Beaches report and the beach clean data it contains has helped to make some of the biggest and most significant impacts on beach litter ever.
Our State of Beaches report saw an 80% drop in plastic bags found on UK beaches since the 5p charge was introduced
Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager
Beach to benches flowchart
