26 May 2026
Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen Food and beverage packaging has been confirmed as the world’s most common form of marine litter, in the first study to provide a globally harmonised overview of shoreline debris by usage type. Led by the University of Plymouth and published in the journal One Earth, the research brings together and evaluates more […]
17 Mar 2026
Photo by Soren Funk A year after millions of plastic pellets washed ashore on the coasts of Norfolk and Lincolnshire, clean-up teams are still working – and the full environmental impact on one of Britain’s most protected coastal ecosystems remains unclear. On 10 March 2025, the cargo ship Solong ploughed into the anchored oil tanker […]
24 Feb 2026
Photo by Jay Alexander New data from a national survey of British coastal waters has found average microplastic concentrations of 59 particles per cubic metre of seawater, more than double the levels recorded in comparable surveys in 2022 and 2023, which found averages of 23 and 20 MP/m³ respectively. The highest single reading, 418 […]
13 Jan 2026
Photo by Chris Mitchell A pollution incident involving millions of plastic bio-beads washing ashore on Sussex beaches has been upgraded to the most serious Category 1 classification by the Environment Agency. The move means Southern Water could face the most severe set of sanctions following investigation into the incident. The micro-beads were accidentally released […]
02 Dec 2025
Photo by Samuel Costa Melo COP30 in Belém, Brazil, elevated the ocean, bringing it closer to the heart of the global climate agenda, but the deep sea representing roughly 90% of the ocean stayed buried in the margins, with the world’s biggest natural carbon sink not receiving mention in the final decision texts. Brazil announced today at COP30 […]
02 Dec 2025
Photo by Maja Bertolt Jensen The European Union has agreed the world’s first limits on seafloor litter, marking a significant step towards reducing marine pollution in a move endorsed by EU marine directors on 27-28 November. Under the new rules, no more than one item per 1,000 square metres will be permitted in areas under visual […]
25 Nov 2025
Photo by Annie Spratt Plastic bio-bead pollution from a Southern Water treatment works failure has now been found in the sensitive saltmarsh habitat at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, approximately two miles south-west of Camber Sands where millions of the pellets first washed ashore in early November. Sussex Wildlife Trust confirmed on 14 November that monitoring had […]
18 Nov 2025
Photo by Soren Funk Scientists have analysed 10,000 marine animal autopsies to understand how plastic ingestion leads to death, revealing the surprisingly small amounts needed to kill wildlife. The study found seabirds face extreme risk after swallowing just 23 pieces of plastic, giving them a 90% chance of dying. Marine mammals reach similar danger at 29 pieces, whilst […]
