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Heineken, Coca-Cola and Pepsi products make up 23% of branded litter in UK
More than half of the branded litter found in the UK last year can be traced back to just 10 brands, says new report by Planet Patrol.
New research reveals that 51% of identifiable litter in the UK can be traced back to just 10 brands, with the drinks industry (both soft drinks and alcohol brands) being “the largest polluter”, according to Planet Patrol.
Stella Artois, Budweiser and Strongbow all fall within these 10 brands, but so, too, do the likes of McDonald’s, Cadbury and Walker.
While the drinks industry continues to be maligned, db’s analysis of the results shows that while Stella Artois, Budweiser and Strongbow account for 6.55% of all identified litter found, fast food brand McDonalds, chocolate giant Cadbury’s and Walkers crisps combined represent almost double the amount (11.26%) of all identified litter found.
The full ‘Top 10’ list of littered brands is as follows: Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Cadbury, Red Bull, Walkers, Lucozade, Stella Artois, Tesco, Budweiser and Strongbow.
The 2021 Litter Report further shows that last year, packaging from Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Heineken (which includes Sol, Red Stripe and Amstel among its portfolio) made up almost a quarter of the 85,326 items of branded litter (23%) found in the annual count. Rubbish recorded by the 5,400 Planet Patrol app users included cans, plastic and glass bottles and single-use cups and lids.
“Just ten parent companies were responsible for more than 50% of branded litter in the UK last year, and we’re seeing the same offenders like Coca Cola repeatedly in our data,” said Lizzie Carr, founder of Planet Patrol.
“We are part of a fundamentally flawed system that continues to allow brands to pollute without consequence or accountability, whilst our environment pays the price. Litter is the symptom of a deeper rooted, system problem – not the cause.”
Following its findings, Planet Patrol is urging the Government to roll out a unique deposit return scheme across the UK “without delay”.
Such a scheme would see consumers pay a small deposit when buying drinks bottles and cans, which is returned when the empty containers are taken to a collection point.