A trash bin marked “Baldwin County, Alabama” has turned up thousands of miles away on a beach in England, underscoring how far debris from the Gulf Coast can travel through global ocean currents.

According to the BBC, the bin was discovered by beachcomber Ryan Stalker at Bowleaze Cove in Weymouth, England, where the Alabama markings caught his attention. Stalker described the find as “quite upsetting,” noting that it illustrated the scale of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

“I don’t think people appreciate how far plastic waste is traveling,” he said. “When you actually have a bin which says ‘Alabama’ on it, I think it opens people’s eyes to what is going on.”

After Stalker shared the discovery on Facebook, staff from the refuse department in Alabama contacted him to apologize for the bin’s presence overseas.

Stalker, a 46-year-old engineer and underwater photographer, said he encounters plastic pollution regularly while diving and hopes the bin’s journey will raise awareness of marine debris.

He later returned to the beach to remove the bin, which he said was larger than typical UK bins and barely fit in his car. The bin is now at his home in Dorset, where he is exploring options to recycle it.

Experts say debris from the Gulf of America can travel across the Atlantic via major ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream, which flows northward along the U.S. East Coast before crossing toward Europe.

Storms, hurricanes and coastal flooding can push large debris into the open ocean, where currents can carry it for years.

Baldwin County and Alabama’s Gulf Coast communities are home to major tourism, fishing and maritime industries that depend on clean coastal waters, making marine debris prevention an ongoing priority.

Stalker said he remains curious about the bin’s journey across the Atlantic and is interested in learning more about how it traveled from Alabama to England.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].