If you think all the marine litter turning up on beaches has originated from the same country, you’d be wrong. With each passing day, the tide takes hold of the litter we’ve let slip into the water that surrounds our fair isles. Over time, these foreign entities span across the globe, latching on to currents after current as they progress their journey. If like us you’ve ever wondered just how far they actually end up, take a look at these 10 Pieces of Marine Litter a long way from their point of origin.
10. Family Circle Biscuits 
Who doesn’t like a biscuit assortment at Christmas, I for one go up a wetsuit size purely down to this sort of thing. This box was filled and packaged in Leicestershire, we found it on a beach in The Lofoten Islands, that’s a distance of around 1000 miles give or take. Where it actually entered the ocean, we’ll never know, but it was a long way from its birthplace.
9. Fishing Crate
Alliance Fish of Scarborough, pretty straightforward this one, again found in the Lofoten Islands, obviously fell off a fishing vessel at some point in its life and ended up here, in a particularly scenic bay.
8. Carrefour Tag
We think this is probably a label off some bananas although the item code was a little faint. What is for sure it is from French Supermarket giant Carrefour, again probably ended up overboard from a French fishing boat, and drifted its way to Oldshoremore in western Scotland.
7. Idun Ketchup
Difficult to say which Scandie country this originated from, it’s prolific in all from Iceland to Denmark, this seems to have been bottled just outside Oslo though, again probably dumped from a fishing boat, and ended up at Oldeshoremore on the west coast of Scotland. That’s a good journey from the point of origin.
6. Tesco Motor Oil
I didn’t stage this. This can of oil sat proudly in the middle of all this crap at Oldshoremore. We’ve traced this can back to origin probably in the Midlands although there are a couple of plants it could have been made. Nearest Tesco to this beach is a solid three hours away.
5. Mussel Farm Buoy
Micah Lester hauling this buoy off the shores of Loch Erribol, this was the least travelled of all the stuff we have found, it came from about two miles up the sea loch, we took it back for them
4. Dried Maxeebl Soup
Had a hard time tracking this maker of Russian dried foods, soup and jam, not quite sure where it originated from exactly, possibly St Petersburg, possibly a suburb of Moscow. Whichever it ended up on a beach in the Lofoten Islands.
3. The Pen
United Fisheries Limited, Donegal Road, Killibegs, I’m heading to Ireland soon so I’m going to take it back to them. Most likely it went overboard from a fishing vessel, remarkably it ended up in the Lofoten Islands over 1000 clicks from its origin, and it still worked.
2. Icelandic Soft Drink
Found this in a nook just around the corner from Bag Pipe in Scotland, I instantly recognised it as a sugary soft drink from Iceland, produced by Coca-Cola, it had come a long way from its point of origin just outside Reykjavik.
1. The Torch
Not the most awe-inspiring shot I have ever posted, but this torch is only sold in the US of A. We found it covered in weed in Arctic Norway. I found out by tracking the serial number and name, and whilst made in China it is specific to one chain store in the US. So made in China, sold in the US, ended up on a beach in Norway.
Will have a lot more tracing of products, and talking to the people who made them to hopefully sway them on their attitude towards plastic and non-recyclables. As always if you fancy helping, you can do HERE.
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