Our World
in Data

What items of waste do we find in rivers and the ocean?

Shown is each item's share of total litter in different river and ocean environments. This is shown for the 10 most common items in each environment, based on thecounts/number of items found.

River watersRiver watersPlastic bags22.8%Wrappers10.1%Industrial packaging8.2%Plastic bottles6.2%Straws & stirrers4.8%Plastic lids4.5%Other containers2.1%Cups & lids1.1%Cotton buds0.7%RiverbedRiverbedPlastic lids13.2%Glass bottles11.1%Plastic bottles9.7%Fishing related7.7%Rope & nets (fabric)7.1%Batteries6.1%Plastic bags4.4%Tyres4.3%Synthetic rope4.3%Cans (food)4%ShorelineShorelinePlastic bags16.2%Plastic bottles12.9%Straws & stirrers6.2%Plastic lids6%Synthetic rope5.9%Paper bags4.7%Clothing3.9%Glass bottles3.8%Tobacco packets3.7%Nearshore watersNearshore watersWrappers39%Plastic bags22.5%Plastic bottles11.1%Plastic lids4.7%Straws & stirrers4.1%Cups & lids4%Synthetic rope3.7%Fishing net2.4%Wood2.4%Fishing related1.7%Offshore watersOffshore watersSynthetic rope31.8%Fishing related24.4%Plastic lids10.6%Plastic bottles8.7%Other containers7.1%Fishing net4.4%Industrial packaging2.8%Plastic bags1.6%Wrappers1.4%Cups & lids1.2%Deep seafloorDeep seafloorPlastic bottles22.6%Plastic bags18.4%Cans (drink)10.2%Fishing related7.2%Synthetic rope6.8%Industrial packaging6.5%Glass bottles2.8%Fishing net2.3%Clothing2.2%
OurWorldInData.org/plastic-pollution •

Source: Morales-Caselles et al. (2021). An inshore–offshore sorting system revealed from global classification of ocean litter.

Note: Data comes from global samples of more than 12 million litter items in major aquatic environments.

All our related research and data

Charts

We use cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

By agreeing, you consent to our use of cookies and other analytics tools according to our privacy policy.