The non-profit environmental group Ocean Conservancy said during its International Coastal Cleanup day last September, 789,138 volunteers in more than 100 countries collected about 20.5 million pounds of trash.
Topping the list of items found polluting our beaches and waterways were 2.4 million cigarette butts, which contain plastic filters. That was followed by 1.7 million food wrappers and 1.6 million plastic water bottles.
"Over the years, we have seen plastics creeping into the top-ten list, displacing items like rope, beverage cans and paper bags," Nicholas Mallos, director of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas program, said in a statement. "But this is the first year that all ten of the top-ten items collected are made of plastic. Given that plastic production is rising, this could be the start of a long and troubling trend."
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