Half of UK’s Litter Traced to 10 Brands

More than half of all identifiable litter in the UK can be traced back to just 10 brands, according to a new nationwide survey by environmental non-profit Planet Patrol.

For the third annual Planet Patrol litter report, 5,400 users of the Planet Patrol app logged over 85,000 pieces of litter across an estimated 27,000km of land, coastlines and waterways. The resultant report found that the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and Heineken International are responsible for nearly a quarter (23%) of all branded litter, while over half (51%) of branded litter can be traced back to just 10 brands.

Over a third of the litter came from drinks companies, with items such as cans, bottles and single-use cups being the biggest offenders.

The 10 brands responsible for making up more than half of the branded litter collected were Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Cadbury, Red Bull, Walkers, Lucozade, Stella Artois, Tesco, Budweiser and Strongbow.

Lizzie Carr, founder of Planet Patrol, said: ‘We are part of a fundamentally flawed system that continues to allow brands to pollute without consequence or accountability while our environment pays the price. Litter is the symptom of a deeper-rooted, systemic problem, not the cause.’

www.planetpatrol.co.uk