Analysis reveals that 63 percent of although legal waste disposal is illegal in the UK, an estimated 30 million tons of waste are disposed of annually.
New research has identified materials and products discarded in our fences and waterways.
The study, led by a team from Loughborough University, found that about two-thirds (63%) of the waste was made of plastic.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Budweiser products are the most frequently discarded brands.
‘We hope that this study will raise awareness of the extent and diversity of waste throughout the UK, especially the profile of garbage that is often sold as an alternative to plastic but is still a problem in the environment,’ said Dr. Tom Stanton, who led the study.
The study analyzed 43,187 garbage items found across the UK included in the Planet Patrol program for the entire 2020 year.
Dr. Stanton said: ‘There are a lot of stakeholders in charge of garbage that ends up in the environment.
‘Governments have introduced laws that can reduce certain types of waste, and companies have policies that aim to reduce the environmental impact of their actions.
‘This study looked at whether these waste disposal efforts were by major participants compared to the types of waste recorded by the planetary scientists’ scientists.
Planet Patrol hosts events throughout the UK, where volunteers add data to the app by tracking, logging, and removing garbage.
Each piece is photographed before being categorized by type, material, and type.
e material was made of plastic, while 14 percent was made of metal, and 12 percent of composite materials.
More than half (56 percent) of the waste was used for packaging, with beverage containers accounting for 33.4% of all debris.
