Around 1,000 volunteers sifted through sand, rummaged through wracklines and scoured shoreline vegetation in search of plastic pellets as part of the first-ever International Plastic Pellet Count held on Saturday, May 3rd. Volunteers found plastic pellets in 65% of the 326 of places where they looked, and 38,290 plastic pellets were found in total.
This day of action was a chance for individuals, school groups, nature clubs, fishing groups, retirement communities and other organizations across the country and beyond to go to their local waterways, look for plastic pellets and record what they found, so we can all have a better understanding of where this pollution is happening. In total, over 70 local organizations participated and hundreds of individuals. This coordinated day of action raised awareness about the prevalence of plastic pellets in the environment, especially our waterways, and it will help catalyze action.
Rochester, New York, USA
Photo by Melissa Carlson | Used by permission
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Photo by TPIN Staff | TPIN
Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA
Photo by Dana Ashman | Used by permission
Cox Creek, Texas, USA
Photo by Diane Wilson | Used by permission
Washington D.C., USA
Photo by TPIN Staff | TPIN
Capetown, South Africa
Photo by Helderberg Ocean Awareness Movement | Used by permission
Michigan, USA
Photo by Hannah Tizedes | Used by permission
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Photo by Katie Abare | Used by permission
Hawassa, Ethiopia
Photo by Ermias Workineh | Used by permission
Huntington Beach, California, USA
Photo by Kathy Hanson | Used by permission
Veracruz, Mexico
Photo by Arely Ávila | Used by permission
Ketchikan, Alaska, USA
Photo by Scott Walker | Used by permission
Plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, are tiny beads of plastic made from gas or oil. Plastic pellets are the building blocks of plastic production, and they’re shipped across the world to be melted down and molded into water bottles, plastic bags and countless other items. Lightweight and numerous, they often spill during manufacturing and transport, inevitably ending up in our environment, especially our waterways. It’s estimated that 10 trillion plastic pellets enter the oceans every year. Once in the environment, these tiny pellets can cause big problems.
If you missed the opportunity to participate in the International Plastic Pellet Count, you can still contribute to this citizen science effort and go out on a plastic pellet hunt any day. Here’s some information to get you started
How to find nurdles in your local waterway
Beyond plastic
How to find nurdles in your local waterway
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Authors
Kelly advocates for a world with less plastic pollution. Kelly lives in Denver with her family, where she enjoys hiking, botanical illustration and traveling.
As director of Environment Oregon, Celeste develops and runs campaigns to win real results for Oregon’s environment. She has worked on issues ranging from preventing plastic pollution, stopping global warming, defending clean water, and protecting our beautiful places. Celeste’s organizing has helped to reduce kids’ exposure to lead in drinking water at childcare facilities in Oregon, encourage transportation electrification, ban single-use plastic grocery bags, defend our bedrock environmental laws and more. She is also the author of the children’s book, Myrtle the Turtle, empowering kids to prevent plastic pollution. Celeste lives in Portland, Ore., with her husband and two daughters, where they frequently enjoy the bounty of Oregon’s natural beauty.
