CANBERRA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The amount of plastic rubbish collected by volunteers from the environment has increased by almost 20 percent in a year in Australia, said a report.
Clean Up Australia on Thursday published its National Rubbish Report for 2022, revealing its volunteers picked up 366,144 pieces of litter. Of those, 63 percent were plastic, an increase of 17 percent from 2021.
The increase was largely driven by a rise in soft plastics, hard plastics and polystyrene found in the environment, said the report.
Soft plastics were the most common rubbish item found, accounting for 18 percent of the total, followed by cigarette butts, single-use plastic bottles and takeaway food containers.
Face masks made the top 10 for most common items for the first time.
One third of items were found by volunteers in waterways, another third on roadsides and footpaths and 20 percent in parks.
Pip Kiernan, chair of Clean Up Australia, said the findings reflected consumption trends and that the rise in plastic rubbish was a serious concern.
She said the coronavirus pandemic has undone some good habits such as using refillable water bottles and coffee cups.
"We often say we don't want a few people doing zero waste perfectly. We want millions of people doing it imperfectly because collectively that can have a big impact," Kiernan told the Australian Associated Press (AAP).
Clean Up Australia Day, when communities across the country are urged to hold their own clean-up events, will be held on March 5. ■