Marine Litter Watch

Marine litter is a serious problem for Europe’s seas and coasts. It threatens marine life, ecosystems, human activities, and health, while also creating economic costs for sectors that depend on the sea. To address this challenge, European policies such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) aim to reduce marine litter and prevent pollution at the source. The Marine Litter Watch (MLW) initiative, coordinated by the European Environment Agency since 2013, involves communities, NGOs, schools, scientists, and citizens in monitoring beach litter.

Marine Litter Watch: communities working together for cleaner seas

The Marine Litter Watch (MLW) initiative

Since 2013, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has coordinated Marine Litter Watch (MLW) - a citizen science initiative that strengthens Europe’s knowledge base and supports European policy implementation. Using the MLW app and a harmonised methodology, volunteers collect and share data that feed into European assessments. This WISE Marine section presents the main findings of the Marine Litter Watch assessment, based on data collected voluntarily in the context of the initiative, and explains how you can get involved.

MLW key components

Communities survey beaches and manage data through the EEA's environmental data portal (Reportnet).
A harmonised list of litter items, aligned with the MSFD, ensures consistency across surveys.
Data are published online by the EEA to improve understanding of litter types and trends.

Who is involved

MLW brings together NGOs, businesses, industry, coastal communities (e.g. sports clubs, scouts), schools and universities, scientists, public authorities, and citizens.

Discover who is contributing

Discover how to contribute

2024 European Beach Litter Assessment results

Data and information on marine litter amounts and composition are essential for tackling the problem at source and monitoring the effectiveness of preventive measures. The EEA developed a MLW web/mobile app to strengthen Europe's knowledge base and thereby support European policymaking. The initiative uses citizen science — scientific research conducted, at least partly, by members of the public — and smartphone technology to encourage and support citizen communities to collect structured data on marine litter and to clean up Europe's beaches simultaneously.

In this section

Key messages
Data reported
State of beach litter in Europe's regional seas
State of beach litter in Europe's rivers and lakes

Key messages

MLW data shows that Europe exceeds threshold values

for marine litter

84% of litter items recorded by MLW volunteers on beaches are made of plastic

Cigarette butts are particularly abundant on beaches across all marine regions

Data reported

litter items collected since 2013

Litter item densities by beach

Which data are used for the assessment?

Criteria for selecting the assessment data

There are two types of events in the MLW data set: monitoring and clean-up. Within the scope of the MLW initiative, the term 'monitoring' event refers to the data collected at preferably seasonal intervals from the same beach by experienced MLW communities, applying the recommended methodology for monitoring marine litter on beaches in the EU (EU MSFD TGML, 2013). Since 2015, the MLW communities have been moving towards organising monitoring events that generate more reliable information, to support relevant European policies. As such, the MLW ’monitoring’ data set also includes data that some EU Member States officially report under the MSFD obligations. Contrastingly, 'clean-up' events may not fully incorporate the MLW methodology and are typified by a relatively simple protocol and a reduction in the levels of standardisation. To make use of as much reported data as possible, both 'monitoring' and 'clean-up' event data sets have been used in this assessment. The latter compose 31% of all events used in this assessment.

For this report, a subset of MLW events is selected according to the following conditions:

events that took place in the period of 2013-2024;
events at one of the four of Europe’s seas, both in EU and non-EU countries;
events separated according to location: either at sea beaches or river/lake shores;
beach sites between 90 and 850 meters in length; and
data records that pass the quality control criteria (e.g. checking for duplication, location, litter count, or other data inconsistencies).

In the most recent assessment, 3495 events from 1716 beach sites are included. These have been reported from 1716 beach sites in 30 countries, including 17 EU Member States.

Litter codelists

In line with the guidance by the MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter (MSFD TG ML), the MLW data collection started by using the recommended litter item categories known as G-code list (Master/General List of Categories of Litter Items, published in 2013). In 2021, the TG ML published a restructured J-code list (Joint List of Litter Categories Manual). The MLW data set thus includes surveys conducted using either of the two partially differing litter item lists, which limits the comparability of surveys in the data set. This is particularly pronounced in cases when G-code categories were split to more detailed J-code categories. To produce a comparable assessment across surveys and years, the mapping table as defined in the Joint List of Litter Categories Manual was used. Where such mapping is not defined, the following categories are aligned with the closest possible category of the alternative codelist:

J216 (unidentified generally dark-coloured oil-like chemicals) mapped to: G214 (Oil/Tar)
J217 (unidentified generally light-coloured paraffin-like chemicals) mapped to: G213 (Paraffin/Wax)
J219 (other ceramic items) mapped to: G210 (other glass items)
J220 (plastic sheeting from greenhouses) mapped to: G67 (plastic sheets, industrial packaging, sheeting)
J221 (plastic irrigation pipes) mapped to: G89 (plastic construction waste (not foamed insulation))
J222 (other plastic items from agriculture) mapped to: G89 (plastic construction waste (not foamed insulation))
J223 (trays for seedlings of foamed plastic) mapped to: G124 (Other plastic/polystyrene items (identifiable))
J224 (plastic food containers made of foamed polystyrene) mapped to: G10 (Food containers incl. fast food containers)
J225 (plastic food containers made of hard nonfoamed plastic) mapped to: G10 (Food containers incl. fast food containers)
J226 (cups and cup lids of foamed polystyrene) mapped to: G33 (Cups and cup lids)
J227 (cups and lids of hard plastic) mapped to: G33 (Cups and cup lids)
J228 (plastic cutlery) mapped to: G34 (Cutlery and trays)
J229 (plastic plates and trays) mapped to: G34 (Cutlery and trays)
J230 (plastic stirrers) mapped to: G35 (Straws and stirrers)
J231 (plastic straws) mapped to: G35 (Straws and stirrers)
J232 (plastic string and filaments exclusively from dolly ropes) mapped to: G50 (String and cord (diameter less than 1cm))
J233 (other plastic string and filaments exclusively from fishery) mapped to: G61 (other plastic fisheries related items not covered by other categories)
J234 (plastic tangled nets and rope without dolly rope or mixed with dolly rope) mapped to: G56 (Tangled nets/cord)
J235 (plastic tangled dolly rope) mapped to: G56 (Tangled nets/cord)
J236 (other plastic personal hygiene and care items) mapped to: G211 (other plastic medical items (swabs, bandaging, adhesive plasters etc.))
J237 (plastic wet wipes) mapped to: G211 (other plastic medical items (swabs, bandaging, adhesive plasters etc.))
J238 (plastic mesh bags for vegetable, fruit and other products) mapped to: G37 (Mesh vegetable bags)
J239 (other foamed plastic items and fragments not made of foamed polystyrene) mapped to: G73 (Foam sponge)
J240 (other identifiable foamed plastic items) mapped to: G124 (Other plastic/polystyrene items (identifiable))
J241 (other identifiable non-foamed plastic items) mapped to: G124 (Other plastic/polystyrene items (identifiable))
J242 (plastic string and cord (diameter less than 1cm) not from dolly ropes or unidentified) mapped to: G50 (String and cord (diameter less than 1cm))
J243 (plastic remains of fireworks) mapped to: G124 (Other plastic/polystyrene items (identifiable))
J244 (paper cups) mapped to: G153 (Cups, food trays, food wrappers, drink containers)
J245 (paper food trays, food wrappers, drink containers) mapped to: G153 (Cups, food trays, food wrappers, drink containers)
J246 (paper cotton bud sticks) mapped to: G95 (plastic cotton bud sticks); note that category J246 is designed to reflect a ban in plastic cotton-bud sticks and a replacement of plastic for paper; it is therefore a new category that, for the purpose of policy impact assessments, should be in contrast with category G95; in this assessment, it is used tentatively as a closest substitute in terms of an item purpose.
J247 (other paper containers) mapped to: G158 (other paper items)
J248 (rubber sheet) mapped to: G134 (other rubber pieces)
J249 (rubber belts) mapped to: G128 (Tyres and belts)
J250 (rubber inner-tubes) mapped to: G129 (Inner-tubes and rubber sheet)
J251 (rubber tyres) mapped to: G128 (Tyres and belts)
J252 (single-use plastic gloves) mapped to: G302 (Disposable glove)
J253 (plastic single-use face-mask) mapped to: G301 (Disposable mask)
J256 (foamed plastic insulation, including spray foam) mapped to: G124 (Other plastic/polystyrene items (identifiable))
J257 (foamed plastic packaging) mapped to: G124 (Other plastic/polystyrene items (identifiable))

The described mapping of codes can cause limited comparability of particular litter categories when assessing litter loads. For the purpose of the annual assessment MLW 2024, the mapping is tentative, subject to further discussions and changes by the EEA.

State of beach litter in Europe's regional seas

On average, 235 litter items per 100 metres of beach were recorded by MLW communities. The results vary significantly across regions, with the Black Sea (466 items) and Mediterranean Sea (316 items) showing the highest levels of litter, followed by the North-East Atlantic (131 items) and the Baltic Sea (65 items). All regions remain well above the MSFD threshold for beach litter (20 items per 100 metres). Over 80% of litter recorded are made of plastic.

Share of litter items on beaches of Europe's regional seas, by material

Top 10 litter items on beaches of Europe's regional seas

The type of beach litter varies substantially across regions and countries. However, cigarette butts and filters dominate on the beaches of all regional seas except the North-east Atlantic Ocean. Also widely abundant are polystyrene and plastic pieces (2.5-50.0 cm in size) and crisps packets/sweets wrappers. Browse the sheets below to learn about the typical litter affecting the beaches of regional seas and countries.

Several of the most abundant plastic litter items recorded by the MLW are now the target of measures under the Single-Use Plastics Directive, as is the case with cotton bud sticks, drink bottles and their caps, and plastic bags. It is expected to see some effect of these policies in the amount and composition of beach litter in the future.

Top 10 litter items by regional sea

Top 10 litter items by country

State of beach litter in Europe's rivers and lakes

Litter is not only a coastal or marine problem — rivers and lakes are major pathways, carrying waste from inland areas to the sea. To capture this, Marine Litter Watch has been extended to river and lake banks. Although data are more limited, results already show that plastics account for 77% of inland litter, with cigarette butts comprising over one third of all items recorded. Other common items include plastic pieces, glass or ceramic fragments, metal caps, snack packets, and food containers.

Top 10 river and lake litter items

Read more about the role of rivers as pathways of transport of plastic litter into European Seas in section 3 of the EEA web report "From rivers to the sea - the pathways and the outcome".

Go to the EEA report

Background information: marine litter policies

Zero Pollution Action Plan (ZPAP) aims to halt the impact of pollution on human health and the environment. ZPAP sets targets to catalyse the prevention of pollution at source and includes the reduction of waste, plastic litter at sea, and the release of microplastics into the environment.
Waste Framework Directive sets out the essential conditions for the management of all types of waste.
Directive on Landfill sets out strict operational requirements for landfill sites to protect both human health and the environment.
Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste aims to prevent the generation of packaging waste and its environmental impact, increase the reuse of packaging and the recycling of packaging waste, prioritize prevention, and follow the waste hierarchy.
Directive on Single-Use Plastics targets single-use plastic items commonly found on beaches, as well as fishing gear. It requires countries to take measures such as limiting their use and improving their collection. Fishing gear is one of the types of items targeted by this Directive.
Directive on Port Reception Facilities aims to reduce the discharges from ship-generated waste and cargo residues into the sea, including from fishing vessels and recreational craft.
Common Fisheries Policy Control Regulation contains provisions intended to retrieve lost fishing gear.
Water Framework Directive aims to achieve ecologically sound inland and coastal waters.
Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive describes the important role of retaining and removing microplastics and other plastic items from both urban sewage and stormwater.
Marine Strategy Framework Directive’s Descriptor 10 on marine litter requires that ‘properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment’. This target is met by taking some measures.
Directive on Bathing Water Quality requires bathing waters to be inspected visually for certain polluting items and when such pollution is found it requires adequate measures to be taken.

Marine Litter Watch data viewer

This Marine Litter Watch (MLW) data viewer provides a deeper look at the data collected by MLW communities. Available are charts and tables of both the data collected and community engagement.

Under preparation