Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

The vast majority of marine litter from food and beverage containers

Plastic food containers, bottles and caps are the main components of marine litter, according to the study carried out on 5,000 beaches around the world.

They analyzed the coasts of 112 countries on the seven continents; an area representative of 86% of the world’s population. And the garbage they found was classified according to its original uses. The results show that food and beverage related plastics are among the three main types of waste in 93% of countries. In particular, plastic food containers, plastic caps and bottles are the most common waste in more than half of the countries, followed by plastic bags and cigarettes.

“It is urgent to take measures to reduce plastic production, for example, to ensure that only plastics that bring a substantial benefit to society are produced.”

The authors of the study stress that it is already clear that waste management alone is not capable of meeting the challenge of plastic pollution and that urgent measures must be taken to reduce plastic production. Such measures could include, for example, ensuring that only plastics that provide a substantial benefit to society are produced. On the other hand, they emphasize that this study clearly indicates that actions on plastics related to food and beverages are a fundamental priority.