• About 80% of marine litter came from the land
• Tourism, recreational activities on the coast and poor waste management are the main sources of marine and coastal pollution by litter

Top 10 litter items collected on beaches

• Cigarette butts and filters 13%
• Plastic pieces 11 %
• Crisps packets/sweets wrappers 6 %
• Plastic bottle caps 10 %
• Polystyrene pieces 4%
• Fast food containers 3%
• Plastic cups 2%
• Cotton bud sticks 2%
• Straws and stirrers 2%
• Plastic drink bottles 2%

Decomposition rates of marine litter

• Banana peel 3-4 weeks
• Cardboard 2 months
• Wood 1-3 years
• Cigarette butts and filters 10-12 years
• Plastic bags 10-20 years
• Synthetic clothing 30-40 years
• Batteries 100 years
• Can 200-250 years
• Plastic bottle 450 years
• Fishing line 600 years
• Glass bottle 1,000,000 years
• Some plastic never decomposes down!

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