Environment & Climate

Ocean Conservancy reports over 1.3 million plastic bottles recovered in 2025 global volunteer cleanup

Around 630,000 volunteers gathered nearly 13.9 million debris items across more than 15,000 miles of shorelines during the annual event.

Updated Aug 26, 2026 · 13:34 UTC1 reports

The short version

During the 2025 International Coastal Cleanup, roughly 630,000 volunteers removed nearly 13.9 million pieces of trash globally.
Plastic bottles were the most frequently recorded item at over 1.3 million collected, followed by cigarette butts, bottle caps, and plastic packaging.
Environmental organizers are urging governments to enact policies that reduce single-use plastic production and expand recycling infrastructure, such as deposit return systems.

In 2025, about 630,000 volunteers participated in Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup, clearing trash from over 15,000 miles of waterways and coastlines.[The Guardian]
Volunteers collected over 1.3 million plastic bottles, more than 1.2 million cigarette butts, 885,000 plastic bottle caps, and 581,000 plastic shopping bags during the effort.[The Guardian]
Over the 40-year history of the initiative, nearly 19.7 million participants across 166 countries and territories have removed more than 439 million items weighing approximately 184,000 tonnes.[The Guardian]
According to WWF estimates cited in the report, UK consumers use roughly 13 billion plastic drinks bottles annually, with only about half being recycled.[The Guardian]