UK marine charity the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has called on the ‘devolved UK governments’ to move forward with policies to ban or reduce more single-use items.  

The charity’s Beachwatch programme manager Lizzie Price is urging all four UK countries to reach a joint approach to expedite the proposed deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers, the Guardian reported. 

The UK government issued a revised timetable in April this year for the introduction of the DRS. It is now expected for a UK-wide rollout in 2027.  

"We must move quicker towards a society that repairs, reuses and recycles," Price emphasised. 

The MCS's 2023 beach litter report, which included 1,199 surveys, found that 97% of beaches had drinks-related litter.  

The report also noted a 1.2% increase in overall plastic litter across the UK, with an average of 167 items per 100m.

The items were small plastic pieces, packets, caps and lids, string and cord, and plastic bottles and containers. 

The society's beach cleaning efforts are ongoing, but a significant portion of data is collected during the Great British Beach Clean events. 

The MCS, which has been tracking beach litter for more than 30 years, also revealed a significant 80% reduction in the number of plastic bags found on UK beaches since the introduction of mandatory charges for single-use carrier bags.  

The annual litter survey noted a drop from an average of five bags every 100m in 2014 to just one in the past year. 

"It is brilliant to see policies on single-use plastics such as carrier bags working,” said Price.