February 6, 2025 14:46

Encouraging news on coastal pollution in Europe: according to a recent European Commission study (EU Coastline Macro Litter Trend), the amount of macro litter—items larger than 2.5 cm—along EU coastlines decreased by 29% between 2016 and 2021, with peaks of 45% in the Baltic Sea and significant improvements in the Mediterranean (-38%).

The most striking progress concerns single-use plastic products, whose presence on European coasts has plummeted by 40%, even without the Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive in effect. Plastic bags and fishing-related debris also saw a 20% reduction over the same period.

According European Commission, this achievement is the result of multilateral, national, regional and citizen-driven efforts, largely driven by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), which aims to ensure the sustainable use of marine and coastal waters while safeguarding the health of coasts, seas and oceans. One of its 11 thematic areas specifically addresses marine litter.

Despite the positive trend, the report highlights that macro litter levels along many European coastlines remain high, exceeding the threshold of 20 items per 100 meters. In fact, the European average for 2020-2021 stood at 203 items per 100 meters of coastline, far above the target.

See also: EU Coastline Macro Litter Trend

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