Coastal and Marine Litter
Coastal and marine litter includes items found on a beach or at the coast, whether washed up or left behind, as a result of human activity.
Coastal litter is usually grouped into eight main material types, but the most commonly found items are made of plastic. The other groups are glass, metal, cloth, paper, polystyrene, rubber and wood. A separate category, sewage related debris (SRD), 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/marine litter: beach visitors, the fishing industry, the shipping industry and our sewage network. Despite there being legislation and investment to tackle such sources, coastal/marine litter levels are still unacceptably high.
Coastal litter has an impact on the social, environmental and economic status of all coastal settlements. It also can have a hugely detrimental effect on our wildlife.
Keep Scotland Beautiful has been educating beach and marine users of the cost and dangers of marine litter for a number of years through campaigns, the Blue Flag and Seaside Award schemes and a litter grant scheme for communities by designated bathing waters.
To find out more about coastal and marine litter, the work of Keep Scotland Beautiful and what you can do to help reduce it please visit the Keep Scotland Beautiful Coastal Campaigns website.