Nurdle (plastic pellet) pollution continues to spread following a spill at Port of Tyne on Sunday 19th July, when the vessel Wind Orca collided with the berthed container ship BG Orange. Nurdles are small plastic pellets used to make almost all plastic. The collision damaged at least two shipping containers of nurdles, releasing tonnes of nurdles into the environment. A single container typically holds 25 tonnes of pellets, which is approximately 1 billion nurdles. Reports of nurdles washing up on beaches began the day after the spill. Despite communities being keen to help, councils initially advised residents not to take part in clean-up. Specialist clean up companies are now operating in the area, though questions have been raised on the time it took for this to be put in place and the effectiveness of the initial containment. Some affected councils have now provided guidance on voluntary clean-up, for those wanting to get involved. A community website has been set up to coordinate volunteers in North Tyneside.
Plastic pellets called nurdles in South Shields. Credit: Dennis Kirton
A quick, joined up response needed
Fidra run the Great Nurdle Hunt where people are logging finds from the spill and documenting evidence of pollution right along the North-East coast of England, from Amble in Northumberland to Roker in Sunderland, including in sensitive wildlife areas. Fish and seabirds, including fulmars and puffins are known to eat nurdles (they look a lot like fish eggs), when ingested by wildlife plastic can cause starvation and organ damage. We are alerting councils, landowners, environmental groups, the media and clean up companies to the pollution. Since the first reports came in nurdle hunt volunteers and the local community have been offering to help. Fidra have been advocating for community involvement in the spill response alongside specialist expertise and equipment, and pushing for a comprehensive emergency response as well as longer term plans for clean up and monitoring. The Fidra team have been to Tyneside to see the response unfold. In the days following the spill it was clear containment in the port had not stopped nurdles spreading further and that beaches across the region were being inundated with nurdles which would require both specialist and community support to clean up. For a week communities were advised by councils not to help in the clean up, but now advice has changed and the community can finally contribute to the clean up on the beaches they care deeply about and the communities’ response is amazing.
An inspiring community response
Volunteers clean up nurdles at Longsands beach, North Tyneside. Credit: Fidra
Local residents, community groups and families, many of whom had never heard of nurdles before this spill, are going above and beyond to protect their beaches from pellet pollution.
This response is despite delays in specialist clean-up operations. There has been a lack of clear communication from authorities involved, and inconsistent advice from local councils, which initially meant people were expected to sit back and watch as nurdles accumulated on their beaches.
Now communities are trying to make up for lost time, with hundreds taking to beaches with sieves, brushes and homemade bags to collect as many nurdles as possible nurdles are incredibly difficult to remove. Many nurdles are carried out to sea, buried in sediment or ingested by wildlife before they are ever found.
Communities cannot act alone
Community clean-ups are vital, but they can’t be the only solution to a pollution crisis like this. Regulators and other relevant authorities must now match the urgency shown by local people, providing continued specialist clean-up support and equipment, and greater transparency about what’s being done and why.
When the clean-up companies eventually leave, residents must not be left to deal with the lingering pollution on their own. They deserve ongoing support, a long-term plan, and a genuine voice in decisions about further clean-up.
This is the latest in a long line of spills in the UK and beyond, adding to the plastic pellet pollution that leaks out of plastic supply chain everyday, with an estimated 445,000 tonnes of plastic pellet lost every year around the world. To stop this happening again Fidra are calling for pollution prevention through UK regulation across the supply chain and mandatory measures from the International Maritime Organisation, preparedness plans to be put in place at other high risks sites, and polluted places to be cleaned up. The polluters should be paying the price not the environment and local communities.
For updates on the spill please follow the Great Nurdle Hunt on instagram , facebook and tiktok or see our Nurdle News.