A new study by the University of Portsmouth shows that plastic items make up more than seven in ten pieces of litter recorded across the UK, with countryside locations and public recreation areas carrying some of the heaviest burdens.

The research draws on ten years of citizen science data collected between 2015 and 2024, using artificial intelligence to bring together information from thousands of volunteers who logged litter through mobile apps, beach clean surveys and community projects. This has created one of the most comprehensive national overviews of litter pollution ever produced in the UK.

More than 460,000 individual litter records were analysed and standardised, allowing researchers to compare data that was previously fragmented or incompatible. By combining these records with detailed information on land use and local infrastructure, researchers identified where litter is accumulating, and which settings are most affected.