MARINE LITTER poses a considerable threat to our wildlife. Turtles, whales and sea birds are all particularly vulnerable as they, or the prey they feed on, can easily mistake littered items for food. It is estimated that 99% of seabirds will have ingested plastic by 2050.

Marine Litter Report 2017

tonnes of plastic from EU countries ends up in the sea every year

100k

SUP HALL OF

SHAME

You’ll see four items of litter for every step you take on a NI beach

4of all marine litter found in 2017 was made of plastic

82

of the litter was a single use plastic (SUP)

30

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Email enquiries@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org Registered Address Bridge House, 2 Paulett Avenue, Belfast BT5 4HD Registered Charity No XR36767 NI Charity No NIC 102973 Company No NI38848 VAT Reg No 860 2036 57

028 9073 6920

freddie.harris@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org

To find out more about our work with marine litter contact:

Freddie Harris CLEANER NEIGHBOURHOODS MANAGER

The plastic problem2017 TERRIBLE TOP TEN Litter types: average pieces per 100 metres (% of total)

1 Plastic and polystyrene pieces < 2.5 cms 54 12%

47 11%

46 11%

39 9%

26 6%

24 5%

23 5%

15 3%

13 3%

10 2%

2 String and cord diameter < 1 cm

3 Plastic and polystyrene pieces > 2.5 cms

4 Caps and lids

5 Rope diameter > 1 cm

6 Drinks (bottles, containers, drums)

7 Crisp, sweet, lolly, sandwich wrappers

8 Drink cans

9 Food (pots, tubs)

10 Wood <50cms

8out of

10of the

most common litter items on

our beaches were plastic

Here’s what you can do to help:

AVOIDsingle use

plastic

DISPOSE of waste carefully

DEMANDalternatives

to plastic

The Marine Litter Report 2017 was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

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