A dozen companies are responsible for 70 per cent of the branded packaging pollution found on UK beaches and the environment, charity Surfers Against Sewage has alleged.
Almost 4,000 citizen science volunteers across the UK collected litter along 13,000 miles of coasts, countryside, streets, rivers and green spaces over the past 12 months, producing data for the annual report into packaging pollution by the ocean conservation charity. The report found that 12 companies, led by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and McDonalds and including other major drinks and snack brand companies, are responsible for most of the packaging carrying branding.
It also found that nearly half of the reported packaging would be covered by an “all-in” deposit return scheme. This would levy a charge that would be paid back to customers when they returned drinks containers for recycling. Surfers Against Sewage is calling on the Government to introduce an all-in deposit return scheme covering drinks containers of all sizes and materials, not just “on-the-go” smaller plastic bottles and cans.
