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People search for shells on a beach in Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar, 17 September 2020. International Coastal Cleanup Day is observed annually on the third Saturday of September and will occur on 19 September this year. The day was established to encourage global efforts to clean up garbage on beaches and coastal areas and raise awareness on protecting the world's oceans and waterways. According to a report released by the US-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy on 08 September 2020, plastic food packaging topped the list of most common items found in beach trash. Close to five million food wrappers were collected in a single day during the International Coastal Cleanup Day in 2019. An approximate 11 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean every year according to a 2016 analysis, affecting more than 800 marine species and causing contamination to human food chains and drinking water. (Photo by Nyunt Win/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)
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