Our World in Charts is a unique collection of hundreds of charts published by The Outlier. The charts cover key issues both in South Africa and around the world on topics such as education, economy, politics, sport and more. Republish our charts for free.
- Over 39,000 pieces of trash were collected by volunteers from beaches around South Africa in 2021 during the International Coastal Cleanup campaign
- Cigarette butts were the most common find on SA’s beaches
- Since 1986, volunteers across the globe have collected 59.4-million cigarette butts from beaches
Every year thousands of volunteers take to beaches around the world to rid the sands and waters of trash as part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup.In 2021, 1,442 volunteers covered 89.4km of South African beaches where they collected more than 39,000 items that should have been thrown away, including 4,000 cigarette butts. Though small, cigarette butts are not harmless. They are made of cellulose acetate, a man-made plastic, and contain toxic chemicals.It’s a global problem. More than 1-million cigarette butts were found on beaches around the world in 2021.
— 6 July, 2023Subscribe to the weekly newsletter for more charts like this
