The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called for a global ban on the “pointless” use of “thin film plastic bags” because they seriously harm oceans and beaches worldwide.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, who is also UN Undersecretary-General, made the call following the release of a new report by the UNEP and Ocean Conservancy.

The report, entitled “Marine Litter: A Global Challenge,” and released Monday in time for the celebration of the World Ocean’s Day, noted discarded fishing gear, plastic bags, cigarette butts and a growing tide of marine litter are harming oceans and beaches worldwide.

The report studied 12 major regional seas around the world, namely: Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, East Asian Seas, East African Seas, Mediterranean, Northeast Atlantic, Northwest Pacific, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, South Asian Seas, South Pacific, and Wider Caribbean.

UNEP and Ocean Conservancy said the report is the first-ever attempt to study and compile information regarding marine litter situation in the world’s major seas.

The report’s findings indicate that despite several international, regional and national efforts to reverse marine pollution, “alarming quantities of rubbish thrown out to sea continue to endanger people's safety and health, entrap wildlife, damage nautical equipment and deface coastal areas around the world.”

“Marine litter is symptomatic of a wider malaise: namely the wasteful use and persistent poor management of natural resources,” said Steiner.

“The plastic bags, bottles and other debris piling up in the oceans and seas could be dramatically reduced by improved waste reduction, waste management and recycling initiatives,” Steiner added.

He noted that some of the litter, “like thin film single use plastic bags which choke marine life,” should be banned or phased-out immediately.

“There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere,” he said.

Steiner said other wastes can be cut by boosting public awareness, and proposing various economic incentives and smart market mechanisms that tip the balance in favor of recycling, reducing or re-use rather than dumping into the sea.

“This report is a reminder that carelessness and indifference is proving deadly for our oceans and its inhabitants,” EarthEcho International chief executive officer and Ocean Conservancy board member Philppe Cousteau said.

The report also noted that plastics and cigarettes topped the marine debris found in the world’s oceans.