After six years and nearly 300,000 pieces of litter logged by our volunteers across the UK, the latest Planet Patrol Litter Report reveals that Coca-Cola remains the most littered brand in the UK, year after year. Planet Patrol calls on the government to take action to tackle the pervasive issue of litter pollution in the UK.
‘People Powered Progress’ is our new report, written by environmental data analyst Nathan Strathdee, and powered by members of the public recording litter in Planet Patrol’s free app between 2019 and 2024. The report exposes the “usual suspects” – the companies behind the waste polluting our environment, from parks and pavements to rivers and canals.
Between 2019 and 2024, 292,472 pieces of branded litter were recorded by our volunteers, 18.1% of which were branded.
The top five most littered brands in the UK were:
Only 17 unique brands have appeared in our top 10 ranking over the six years, showing how a small number of companies are consistently polluting our environment on a large scale.
“This six-year report clearly exposes consistent and pervasive patterns in both the brands and types of litter polluting our green and blue spaces. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Walkers, and other familiar names are appearing in our data year after year, and yet we see insufficient action from big brands in dealing with the packaging they produce.There’s no time to waste; we need bold legislation to hold polluting brands accountable.”
— Lizzie Carr MBE, Founder, Planet Patrol
Our data is clear: relying on corporations to volunteer to take action is not enough. That’s why Planet Patrol is calling on the UK Government to take urgent, enforceable action to address litter pollution at its root.
Here’s what needs to happen:
- Implement an ‘all-In’ deposit return scheme (DRS) and include glass bottles in the UK-wide scheme. Glass makes up nearly 2% of all litter recorded.
- Ban single-use plastic bags fully and ensure “Bags for Life” are reported on and regulated. These are often used once and discarded, fueling plastic pollution.
- Ban cigarette filters — Acetylate cellulose filters are unnecessary, toxic, and persistent. Cigarette butts made up over 3.46% of all litter collected by Planet Patrol between 2019 and 2024.
- Regulate soft plastic recycling schemes and end greenwashing. Much of the soft plastic collected in-store by supermarkets is incinerated, not recycled. Independent oversight is urgently needed by the Competition & Markets Authority.
- Strengthen Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR). Current schemes fall far short, covering only around 10% of actual costs. The burden must not fall on taxpayers and local authorities.
It’s time for the government to act — and for packaging producers to be held to account.
Join us in pushing for systemic change. Whether you’re an individual, business, policymaker or activist, your voice matters.