Hundreds of volunteers are expected to take part in the 20th anniversary of a mass clean-up operation, on beaches along the entire Dorset coastline.

The amount of rubbish on the UK's beaches has reached its highest level ever, according to a survey.

The Marine Conservation Society found that litter has increased by 110% since 1994 to 2,195 pieces per kilometre.

The society said the rubbish can harm wildlife and wants the government to develop a "co-ordinated marine litter strategy" to tackle the problem.

But the government has dismissed the call for a new approach, saying it is an "issue of personal responsibility". volunteers removed in excess of 385,000 pieces of litter from more than 370 beaches last September.

On average they picked up two pieces of rubbish a metre.

A variety of techniques are used to collect and remove marine (or riverine) debris by concerned jurisdictions or volunteer organizations. Besides collection by hand, Some cities operate special Beach cleaner machines that collect trash deposited by the sea along the coast line. Other places (e.g. Baltimore) arrange for picking debris while it is still floating; such activities are often undertaken regularly where floating debris are perceived to pose danger to navigation. For example, the US Army Corps of Engineers reports removing 90 tons of "drifting material" from San Francisco Bay shipping lanes etc. every month. The Corps has been doing this work since 1942, when a seaplane carrying Admiral Nimitz collided with a piece of floating debris and sank, resulting in the death of its pilot.

Elsewhere, various kinds of "trash traps" are installed on small rivers flowing into the sea, to capture waterborne debris before it reaches the sea. For example, South Australia's Adelaide operates a number of such traps, known as "trash racks" or "gross pollutant traps" on the Torrens River, which flows (during the wet season) into Gulf Saint Vincent.

The second of two research ships bound for a huge "island" of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean leaves San Francisco today.
Ocean currents have pushed the refuse together in an area estimated to be larger than the State of Texas.
The expedition, named Project Kaisei, will study the impact of the waste on marine life.
Ultimately the organisers hope to clear the plastic and recycle it for use as fuel and new products.