Global cleanups collected more than 1.3 million plastic bottles

In 2025, more than 630,000 people joined the International Coastal Cleanup, removing 7.9 million pounds — approximately 3.4 million kilograms — of waste from beaches and waterways. Among the 13.8 million recorded items were 1,338,712 plastic bottles and 885,854 caps.

The figures, published by Ocean Conservancy in its 2026 report, reveal two sides of the same effort. The first is immediate: removing waste from coastal environments. The second is less visible but equally important: every item is classified and added to one of the world's largest marine-debris databases.

Cleanup action also produces data

Since 1986, almost 20 million volunteers have taken part in ICC activities, removing more than 405 million pounds of waste in total. Information recorded during cleanups is used by researchers, organisations and public authorities to understand which materials most frequently reach the environment and to support prevention measures.

The bottle count therefore describes more than a large volunteer effort. It makes visible the global spread of a single-use item that continues to appear on coastlines and along waterways.

For Un Sacco Pulito, the lesson is practical: documenting a cleanup — its location, quantities, waste types and photographs — increases the value of the action. One cleanup improves a place; many recorded cleanups also help us understand the problem.

Source: Ocean Conservancy, report on the 2025 International Coastal Cleanup results

The cover is an AI-generated editorial illustration.