Cotton buds made by the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson will no longer have plastic handles to prevent toxic waste reaching waterways and seas.

Plastic cotton buds are the number one item of plastic, sewage-related debris found on our beaches and rivers, according to the last year’s Marine Conservation Society's Great British Beach Clean.

The switch to paper handles began on Monday, and the new products will be on shop shelves in Britain within the coming weeks. Johnson & Johnson said it will prevent tens of thousands of tonnes of plastic reaching the seas.