The types and sources
Coastal litter is usually grouped into eight main material types, but the most commonly found items are made of plastic.
The groups are:
- Plastic
- Glass
- Metal
- Cloth
- Paper
- Polystyrene
- Rubber
- Wood
A separate category, sewage related debris, defines a range of items made from different material types which enter the marine environment from our sewer network.
There are four main sources of coastal and marine litter:
- People (80% of coastal and marine litter comes from land - either dropped in cities, towns, rural areas or at the beach - being blown or entering our water ways via drainage systems, ultimately ending up in the marine environment).
- The fishing industry
- The shipping industry
- The sewage network
Clean Up Scotland
Find out more about our national campaign Clean Up Scotland and how you can get involved in a beach clean.
