The All Party Parliamentary Group on Microplastics has published a new report calling for urgent action on key sources of microplastic pollution in the UK. The report highlights that the UK’s current fragmented, inconsistent and inadequate approach will fail to tackle the scale of the challenge, with widespread microplastic contamination across the UK environment.
This report is particularly timely, as the UK continues to struggle with mounting microplastic pollution. Currently coastlines in North East England are suffering from the impacts of a major microplastic spill in July 2026. An estimated 17 tonnes of plastic pellets, also called nurdles, which are used to make almost all plastic products, spilled at the Port of Tyne following a shipping incident and are still washing up today. 95% of nurdle pollution can be avoided through regulation to ensure the plastic industry has spill prevention measures in place. Yet, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Microplastics has found the UK still lacks a coherent policy framework for microplastics, with no legal reduction targets, no regulatory limits for key pollution pathways and no overarching strategy to guide government action.
The APPG report aimed to set out practical measures that could be delivered through existing policy frameworks while also highlighting the need for longer-term action. Fidra continues to address microplastic pollution through our projects and supports the APPG’s recommendations to address this significant environmental challenge.
Key recommendations from MPs to tackle microplastic pollution
The report recommends five key areas for policy makers to focus on to reduce microplastic pollution. Recommendations cover microplastic pollution sources and pathways that Fidra have long been highlighting as priorities for action, including plastic pellets, intentionally added microplastics (IAMs) and sewage sludge.
1. Establish a clear UK policy framework
A key conclusion of the report is that microplastic policy is currently lacking strategic direction. To address this, the APPG recommends developing a dedicated Microplastics Strategy or introducing legislation with time bound reduction targets, as well as establishing clear cross government leadership through a designated minister or responsible body. The report also recommends integrating microplastics objectives into existing policy initiatives, including water management and circular economy plans.
The report argues that without clear targets and accountability, efforts to reduce microplastic pollution will remain inconsistent and difficult to measure.
2. Regulate major sources of microplastic leakage
Plastic pellets identified as a priority
The APPG highlights that a relatively small number of sectors are responsible for a significant proportion of microplastic releases. It recommends legally binding leakage reduction requirements for major sources, including plastic pellets, packaging, tyres, textiles, paints, and agricultural products.
Plastic pellets (nurdles) in South Shields, from the Port of Tyne nurdle spill in July 2026. Credit: Dennis Kirton
The APPG notes that there is currently no comprehensive regulatory framework governing pellet losses. This is particularly alarming given the widespread evidence of environmental harm caused by pellet pollution, including significant clean-up costs and public expenditure. For example, the recent devastating pellet spill at the Port of Tyne is affecting the beaches, wildlife and communities across North East England.
The report specifically recommends:
- legally binding pellet leakage reduction requirements
- mandatory monitoring and reporting
- extension of producer responsibility measures to pellet supply chains.
The report also highlights that the plastic industry’s current voluntary approaches to encourage better practice across industry supply chains, such as Operation Clean Sweep, do not go far enough to tackle plastic pellet pollution. These schemes lack enforceable requirements, monitoring obligations and penalties for non-compliance.
Intentionally added microplastics
Microplastic infill (rubber crumb) from an artificial football pitch. Credit: Fidra
The report calls on the UK to align with the European Union’s REACH restrictions on intentionally added microplastics, including a restriction on microplastic infill used on artificial sports pitches. Intentionally added microplastics (IAMs) are small plastic particles deliberately manufactured to be under 5mm in size and represent a key but often overlooked source of microplastic pollution. A report commissioned by the UK government recently identified artificial sports pitches as the single largest source of IAMs (excluding plastic pellets) entering the UK environment. The report estimated that over 16,000 tonnes of microplastics could be released from artificial pitches over a 20-year period.
The report describes IAMs as one of the most well-evidenced and preventable sources of pollution. The report cites the EU’s restrictions on IAMs, as evidence that the UK is falling behind on tackling microplastics.
3. Make producers responsible
A strong theme throughout the report is the need to shift responsibility upstream to producers. Policy recommendations included:
- extending mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes to sectors such as textiles, tyres and plastic pellets
- introducing stronger requirements for traceability and reporting across product supply chains
- mandating disclosure of polymers and plastic associated chemicals used in products, and delivering a UK Deposit Return Scheme.
4. Strengthen protections for wastewater, sewage sludge and soils
The report identifies wastewater systems, including sewage sludge, as one of the most significant pathways through which microplastics enter the environment and food chain. It highlights particular concerns about the build-up of microplastics in soils. Microplastics are partitioned from wastewater into sewage sludge during wastewater treatment and treated sewage sludge (or biosolids) are then applied to agricultural soils as a fertiliser. Research has shown that contaminated sewage sludge impacts soil biodiversity and health, water quality, and food security. The report notes that UK agricultural soils are among the most contaminated in Europe. This is driven by the practice of repeated sludge applications which remains poorly regulated, with currently no regulatory limits for microplastic concentrations in wastewater, biosolids or untreated sewage discharges/overflows.
In response, the report recommends upgrading wastewater treatment infrastructure with advanced filtration technologies capable of capturing smaller plastic particles, requiring microfibre filters on new washing machines, bringing sewage sludge fully within environmental permitting regimes, establishing precautionary thresholds for microplastics and unregulated chemicals of concern in sludge, and strengthening monitoring and controls on sludge management.
5. Build a national monitoring system
The report also highlights significant gaps in the UK’s evidence base and monitoring capability regarding microplastics. To address this, it recommends establishing a national monitoring framework covering human health, water, air, sewage sludge and soils, standardising sampling and analytical methods, requiring priority sectors to monitor and report on microplastic pollution, and funding targeted research to address critical evidence gaps. The APPG argues that a coordinated monitoring system is essential for understanding the scale of the challenge, tracking trends over time, and assessing the effectiveness of future interventions aimed at reducing microplastic pollution.
A call for coordinated action
The overarching message of the report is clear – stronger action to tackle microplastic pollution is needed in the UK.
The APPG argues that the UK needs a coherent policy framework, clear reduction targets, stronger regulation of major environmental pollution sources and pathways, such as plastic pellets, IAMs and sewage sludge, with improved monitoring if it is to effectively address microplastics. Fidra are supportive of these recommendations and is calling on the UK Government to urgently adopt them to better protect the environment from the growing impacts of microplastic pollution.
Find out more about Fidra’s projects to tackle microplastic pollution:
Intentionally Added Microplastics and Artificial Pitches