Tackling the enormous impact of tiny plastics

If you have ever attended a beach cleanup, you have likely found all sorts of plastic and other waste littering the shore. Straws, wrappers and bottles abound, washed up by the waves. But it’s the smaller plastic pieces, called nurdles, that are often overlooked in cleanup efforts, although they can cause a great deal of harm. 

Nurdles are small plastic pellets that are molded to make most of the plastic products we use every day. Billions of nurdles are produced each year and are easily spilled during manufacturing or transport. Difficult to clean up, they often wash into streams and oceans where they wreak havoc on marine life. According to FIDRA, ‘Nurdles are the second largest source of primary microplastic pollution globally. Each year an estimated 445,970 tonnes of nurdles enter the environment worldwide.’ 

Because of their size and colour, nurdles look like fish eggs, making them especially tempting for seabirds, shellfish, whales and other marine wildlife who mistake them for food. These pellets can be toxic and lead to injury, starvation or even death when they accumulate in the gut and stomach. Over time, nurdles break down into smaller and smaller microplastics, which can travel up the food chain along with the toxins they carry. The harmful effects of toxic plastic pollution are felt by larger marine mammals, humans and entire ecosystems.  

The good news is that plastic pollution is preventable, and everyone can make a difference. Since nurdles are so difficult to clear up, the best solution is to reduce our use of plastics and call on the plastic industry to take responsibility for stopping pellet loss. In countries like Kenya, Portugal and the USA, A Rocha takes part in FIDRA’s Great Global Nurdle Hunt each year, an event which removes nurdles from the environment as well as contributes to research and raising awareness. Over the last 10 years over 20,000 volunteers have taken part, finding nurdles on every continent except Antarctica!  

Everyone can take part in this global citizen science event: each year, we see children, interns, scientists and dedicated community members on their hands and knees in the sand, searching for nurdles. Inquisitive beach goers sometimes ask what we are looking for, a perfect opportunity to explain the problem of nurdles and microplastics, the actions people can take and our motivation as followers of Jesus to care for all of creation. 

This year, the International Coastal Cleanup is on 21 September: why not join the Great Global Nurdle Hunt, as well? Running from 1-30 September, this global event is an empowering and impactful way to address microplastic pollution. You can find more information on how to identify nurdles and organize a nurdle hunt in the A Rocha Plastics Toolbox, available now on our new Resource Hub! Visit resources.arocha.org/resource/plastics-toolbox/