Last year, Marine Conservation Society volunteers cleared more than 600,000 pieces of litter from Britain’s beaches. Plastic was found on 99.5% of beaches surveyed, making up 82% of all litter collected.
We rightly talk about marine litter as an environmental issue, but the impact stretches far beyond damaged marine ecosystems.
The economic toll on coastal regions
Marine litter is not just unsightly - it’s expensive.
- Local authorities spend hundreds of thousands a year on beach cleaning alone. Some larger councils, like the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, allocate £1m a year on beach cleaning activities. [1] A 2010 estimate put the total cost of coastal clean-up to UK councils at up to £16m annually. [2] These are funds that could support local services. Instead, they are spent dealing with waste that should never have been there.
- Tourism also suffers. Littered beaches deter visitors and shorten stays. People are far less likely to return to a beach they perceive as dirty – a reputational hit that can take years to repair. [3] A 2014 study estimated that the annual costs to the tourism sector in certain regions of the UK could range from £1.38m to almost £500m annually in the 2010-2100 period, and identified Devon and Norfolk as relatively vulnerable regions. [4]
- The fishing industry faces its own set of challenges. Vessels can suffer damage from marine litter. These issues cost UK boats an estimated £6,000–£30,000 per year, not including the lost income from time spent clearing debris – typically 1–2 hours a week. That’s before accounting for the long-term impact of abandoned, discarded or lost fishing gear on fish stocks. [5]
And these figures only scratch the surface. They do not account for the damage to marine ecosystems that coastal economies ultimately depend on.
Coastal regions are already among the UK’s most overlooked areas, which is why the cost of marine litter is acutely felt. A wide body of evidence points to deepening disparities in employment, health outcomes, housing quality, educational attainment and infrastructure investment. The most recent ONS analysis shows that many coastal towns fall within the most deprived 10–20% of areas nationally. [7]
These places also sit on the frontline of environmental pressures such as coastal erosion and increasingly frequent, more intense flooding.
Marine litter adds yet another layer of strain to places already dealing with underinvestment, seasonal economics and growing environmental risks.
Impact on community pride
But the cost is not just financial - it’s personal. For communities by the sea, our ocean is not just a backdrop, but a defining feature of their lives. Our Valued Seas Project found that the sea plays an important role in creating a sense of identity and pride in coastal communities.
…it’s in my heart, soul, body, blood, breath, everything. I mean, I am so lucky because I breathe the sea air in, I see the sea. And I’m near it as much as I can, so it’s an absolutely essential part of my being...
Participant in Valued Seas Project
It can be really upsetting when you take a group of young people out and they come across […] the amount of pollution that sometimes we get.
Outdoor Education Organiser
Where does the Government’s Circular Economy Growth Plan come in?
Tackling marine litter must sit at the heart of the Government’s Circular Economy Growth Plan. If the UK is serious about growth, we cannot afford to keep paying for waste after it has already caused harm. The focus must shift from clean-up to prevention, reducing single-use plastics, expanding reuse and refill systems, and stopping waste at source.
By embedding marine litter reduction into the Circular Economy Growth Plan, the UK can move from reactive cleanups to proactive prevention – cutting waste, supporting pride in place, and ensuring that coastal communities are not left to carry the cost of a problem they did not create. For coastal communities, tackling marine litter is not only environmental policy – it’s economic common sense.
You can explore how marine litter affects your community by using our dashboard here, or by reading our full State of Beaches 2025 report here.
References
1. George, M. (2021). Will we see litter left on Bournemouth beaches this year? [online] Bournemouth Echo. Available at: https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/districts/poole/19280677.will-see-litter-left-bournemouth-beaches-year/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2026].
2. Grelaud, M. and Ziveri, P. (2020). The generation of marine litter in Mediterranean island beaches as an effect of tourism and its mitigation. Scientific Reports, [online] 10(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77225-5.
3. Hall, K. (2000). Impacts of Marine Debris and Oil: Economic and Social Costs to Coastal Communities. [online] Available at: https://www.kimointernational.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/KIMO_Impacts-of-Marine-Debris-and-Oil_Karen_Hall_2000.pdf.
4. Local Deprivation Explorer 2025. (2025). 2025 English indices of | Local Deprivation Explorer. [online] Available at: https://deprivation.communities.gov.uk/maps?type=imd&geog=lsoa#5/51.79/-9.51.
5. Mouat, J., Lozano, R. and Bateson, H. (2010). Economic Impacts of Marine Litt er. [online] Available at: https://www.kimointernational.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/KIMO_Economic-Impacts-of-Marine-Litter.pdf.
6. Watkins, E. (2017). Marine Litter: Socio-Economic Study. [online] Unep.org. United Nations Environment Programme . Available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/items/e5130ef8-31eb-4fa8-9ea1-4d71112553ef/full.
