India, May 25 -- Food- and beverage-related plastics represent the dominant items of marine litter across seven continents, nine ocean systems, 13 regional seas and 112 countries, accounting for 86 per cent of the global population.

Food and beverage plastics dominate shoreline debris globally, ranking among the top three most abundant usage types in 93 per cent of countries, followed by plastic bags (39 per cent) and cigarettes (38 per cent) according to a study published in the journal One Earth on May 20, 2026.

Specifically, plastic food packaging, caps/lids, and plastic bottles were among the top-ranked individual items in over half of all countries.

Researchers led by Max Richard Kelly at the University of Plymouth in the UK devel...