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Hand-luggage-only travel blamed for rise in plastic waste
Britons abandon 125 million items on holiday every year, 76 million of which are plastic, according to research by travel comparison site Kayak.co.uk.
Items deliberately left behind by holidaymakers include unfinished tubes of toothpaste, deodorant bottles, sun tan lotion and pool inflatables.
It found that families often buy items on holiday, such as pool toys, which they have no intention of taking home.
However, this means that someone else will have to dispose of their purchases, said Kayak.
It claimed that the growing trend of travelling light, without any check-in luggage, was partly to blame as air passengers can’t take containers carrying more than 100ml of liquid into aircraft cabins. "Instead of buying often costly ‘travel-sized’ versions of their favourite toiletries, Brits are instead buying them on holiday and simply leaving them behind when the holiday has finished," it said.
Overall, it was found to be books that are the single item Brits leave behind most on holiday – likely to either reduce weight when flying home, or to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy them. Over a quarter of Brits (26%) leave at least one book behind each time they go on holiday, while 3% admit to leaving five or more behind on each trip.
Other items that Brits commonly leave behind are unfinished bottles of alcohol (13%/9.8m), clothes (11%/ 8.3m items), moisturiser (8%/ 6m items) and make-up (2%/1.5m items).
Kayak Europe MD John-Lee Saez said: "We often return from holiday with fewer items than we went with – either by accident or because we simply don’t think we’ll need them again. Whilst some items, such as books, may be used and appreciated, others – such as large, plastic pool inflatables or half-finished plastic bottles – are simply waste."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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