Coke can from 1988 washes up on Cramond beach

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coke can
Image caption,

The Coca Cola can was found on Cramond beach

A Coca Cola can from 1988 has been found on a beach near Edinburgh by volunteers clearing up rubbish.

The 31-year-old can, which features a promotion for the Seoul Olympics, was one of more than 400 items picked up at Cramond Beach.

Half the litter found was made from plastic, while 100 wet wipes were also discovered, tangled in seaweed.

Campaigners said the can showed the potential benefits of a deposit return scheme for drinks bottles and cans.

They are also calling for clearer labelling on the wipes to stop them being flushed down the toilet.

Image caption,

The can features a promotion for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul in South Korea

The clean-up was carried out by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and resulted in 86kg (13.5 stone) of waste being cleared from the beach.

MCS Scotland Conservation Officer Catherine Gemmell, who organised the event, said wet wipe numbers were regularly high at Cramond.

Image caption,

More than 30 volunteers took part in the clean-up at Cramond beach

She added: "One of the most startling finds was a Coca Cola can from 1988 - supporting the Olympics, held that year in Seoul, South Korea.

"This really unusual find shows that when it comes to litter there is no 'away' and we need to ensure that anything we are using today is not being picked up by volunteers in 30 or more years' time."

"This can is the very reason that we're calling on the Scottish government to implement an 'all in' deposit return scheme for drinks bottles and cans."