Plastic pollution

Plastic pollution refers to plastic waste that ends up in environments where it shouldn’t be—including our rivers, coasts, and the ocean. It’s even been found in the human body now.

Plastic pollution includes everything from single‑use bottles to micro‑ and nanoplastic fragments. We are living in a toxic plastic pandemic. That’s why we’re campaigning to end plastic pollution across UK waters.

Plastic causes pollution when it’s over‑produced, single-use, and not reused. Plastics don’t disappear over time. Instead they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, known as microplastics. These tiny particles enter the ocean food chain and have been found inside humans, seriously impacting our health.

Poor recycling systems mean only about 9% of all plastic ever made is recycled—most ends up burned, landfilled or leaking into rivers and seas. We believe that reduction at source, not just end‑of‑life recycling, is vital.

Plastic pollution is catastrophic for all life on earth, including marine ecosystems and human health. Over 98 % of plastic is made from fossil fuels, and 2.5 tonnes of CO₂ are generated in producing just 1 tonne of plastic. Yearly plastic emissions from production could hit 2.1 gigatonnes by 2040, threatening climate targets. Marine life is suffocated or poisoned by plastics, while microplastic particles infiltrate food chains.

Plastic enters the ocean through mismanaged waste—from rivers, streets and coastal litter—as well as microplastic particles in our water system. Our Million Mile Clean volunteers collect this pollution while also documenting brand data and item types to show the real sources of marine plastic pollution.

We know plastics kill wildlife—hundreds of thousands of marine mammals and birds die every year from entanglement and ingestion. 

But plastics are also making their way into our bodies. Microplastics—tiny fragments of broken-down plastic—have now been found in the food we eat, the water we drink, and even the air we breathe. A 2023 study estimates that we ingest the equivalent of a credit card’s worth of plastic every week through food and drink.

Microplastics have been detected in bottled and tap water, seafood, table salt, and even fruit and vegetables. They’ve also been found in human blood, lungs, and placentas—raising urgent questions about long-term health impacts. While we don’t yet fully understand the consequences, early research links microplastic exposure to inflammation, hormonal disruption, and potential immune system effects.

At Surfers Against Sewage, we’re sounding the alarm: plastic pollution isn’t just killing marine life—it’s infiltrating our bodies. That’s why we’re demanding bold, systemic action to stop plastic at the source, before it ends up in our oceans, on our beaches, and on our plates.

Every year, approximately 11 million tonnes of plastic flow into the ocean—equivalent to dumping 2,000 garbage trucks into seas every single day. About 85–98 % of marine plastic pollution originates on land—from littered streets, mismanaged waste, storm drains or sewage.

Our Million Mile Clean data shows the scale of pollution still being collected from coastlines across the UK. SAS volunteers document and collect this pollution via citizen science, pinpointing the brands, materials and sources to push for systemic solutions.

See more plastic pollution facts

Plastic pollution accelerated after the 1950s—the era of mass production and single‑use culture. Today, our surveys show over 27,000 single-use drink containers collected from 487 UK sites in one study alone. Volunteer efforts have helped remove over 43 million single-use items per year via the Plastic Free Communities movement.

Plastics can persist in marine environments for centuries. For instance, a single‑use plastic bottle may take 450 years or more to fragment into microplastics. Every piece of plastic ever produced still exists in some form. That’s why we need to reduce production and create circular economies—plastic doesn’t biodegrade within human lifetimes.

Recycling alone isn’t enough. Globally only around 9% of plastic has ever been recycled—most ends up burned, landfilled or exported, and becomes pollution. UK recycling rates hover around that level due to limits in infrastructure and export dependency.

That means >90 % of plastic becomes waste, pollution or incineration by-product. At SAS, we advocate for reduction, reuse, refill—not reliance on limited recycling systems.

• Over 400 million tonnes produced annually; forecast to triple by 2060.
• Only 9% of plastic made has ever been recycled.
• 11 million tonnes enter oceans yearly.
• 80% of marine debris is plastic.
• UK households discard about 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging per year.
• UK coastlines carry approximately 150 plastic bottles per mile.

See more plastic pollution facts

To effectively fight plastic pollution at scale in the UK, we need:

• A legally-binding all‑in Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) covering all container sizes and materials, expected to capture at least 55 % of polluting packaging.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) so polluting companies pay for their plastic.
• Citizen-led action via Million Mile Clean, Plastic Free Communities (674+ councils & thousands of businesses), and Plastic Free Schools. In 2024 alone, over 310,000 miles walked and 81,076 kg of plastic removed.
• Leadership toward a Global Plastics Treaty, elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, and an economy built on reduction, reuse and refill.

Read more on our demands