“Cigarette butts are the most common find in almost all cleaning operations in the world,” the WWF said in a statement. It said that waste was collected as part of its Adopt a Beach program from 78 beaches around Greece with the assistance of volunteers.

Almost a third of the waste comprised cigarette butts, with pieces of plastic, lids, straws, styrofoam, bags, baby wipes, glass and bottles completing the picture. “A total of 28,140 cigarette butts, equivalent to 1,407 packs of cigarettes, were counted on all beaches,” WWF said on Wednesday, presenting the results of the program.

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.