Mediterranean deluged with 17,600 tonnes of plastic waste every year, study finds

Researchers believe Southern Europe’s sea has 3,760 metric tonnes left floating on its surface, writes Joe Sommerlad

Estimates suggest there is currently 250,000 tonnes of plastic bobbing in open saltwater around the world (Andrei Dubadzel/Shutterstock)

Climate researchers investigating the extent of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean have found that 17,600 metric tonnes are dumped into the sea off Southern Europe every year, with 3,760 metric tonnes left to float on the surface.

Of that total, 84 per cent will ultimately be washed up on beaches while the remaining 16 per cent remains in the water or sinks to the seafloor, according to academics from the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research in Greece, who published their findings in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

An estimated 368m tonnes of plastic was produced globally in 2019, the total increasing year-on-year since the 1950s.