Will ICC collect another 1.3 million plastic bottles in September?

Half a million volunteers collected 1.3 million plastic bottles last year, reports the International Coastal Cleanup. It is getting ready for its 2026 edition, taking place next month.

This year’s ICC clean-up will take place in 100 countries worldwide on Saturday 19 September. It represents the world’s largest single-day beach and waterway cleanup. Collection hubs have sprouted up across North America as well as Bangladesh, Brazil, China and Italy.

The ICC expects to find millions of plastic products once again. In 2025, the organisation also recovered 886 000 bottle caps, securing a spot as second most littered item. The top ten included well-known culprits such as plastic bags, food wrappers, food containers, cigarette butts and straws.

‘Most bottles are used for mere minutes and yet can last in the environment forever,’ comments Allison Schutes, Ocean Conservancy’s senior director of conservation cleanups.

Cleanup data tracks plastic pollution

Ocean Conservancy urges that plastics waste poses serious risks to marine life. During the 2025 clean-up, its volunteers encountered an albatross that died after swallowing a plastic bottle.

However, the ICC data serves a broader purpose: its volunteers record the items they collect, to help map the flow of ocean debris. Since the first ICC in 1986, almost 20 million volunteers have joined cleanup activities. Together, they have removed approximately 185 000 tonnes of waste from beaches and waterways. This includes more than 4.2 million metres of marine rope and 2.2 million metres of fishing line.

Their joint database now contains records of almost 440 million individual items. Researchers, governments and industry groups use the information to assess pollution trends and policy responses.

‘What began as the vision of two passionate ocean advocates and a cleanup in one US state has turned into a global phenomenon that has involved millions of people in more than 160 countries,’ ICC’s ceo Janis Jones.

ICC data informs policy

Ocean Conservancy also uses ICC data to assess the impact of policy changes. A 2025 peer-reviewed study examines plastic bag pollution following bans. The study finds that plastic bag bans reduce environmental pollution by 25–47% where implemented.

‘Increasing access to recycling, including bottle deposit returns, extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and investing in reuse and refill infrastructure would go a long way,’ says Anja Brandon, Ocean Conservancy’s director of plastics policy.

Currently, ten US states operate bottle deposit schemes. Meanwhile, seven states have passed EPR legislation since 2021. Nearly a dozen additional states are considering similar measures.