Packaging and small items make up 80% of plastic waste around Europe's beaches

So-called land-based sources account for 80% of marine litter and about 85% of it is plastic, EEA said.

Packaging and small items make up 80% of plastic waste around Europe's beaches, with some of the discarded pollutants lasting up to 500 years.

Those are some of the findings from the European Environment Agency (EEA), as it warned plastic waste generation in the continent is growing at an even faster pace than economic growth.