Volunteers cleaning the beach at Whitley Bay. Image by Leah Pattem.
Calls for people to join global plastic pollution survey
A global search for plastic pellets called nurdles is still underway with thousands of volunteers and organisations across the world taking to beaches to document how industrial plastic pollution continues to threaten our coastal communities.
From Friday 4th September - Sunday 4th October, environmental charity Fidra is hosting The Great Global Nurdle Hunt and calling on everybody across the world to head to beaches, rivers and ports to look for the small plastic pellets and log their nurdle findings with the aim of collating evidence to ensure the international plastic pollution crisis is mapped globally.
The information gathered will then be used to strengthen the call for changes to stop pellet pollution.
Since 2013, over 20,000 volunteers from at least 81 different countries across seven continents have taken part in more than 7,000 nurdle hunts. 87% of these hunts have identified nurdles, stretching right the way from the coasts of Norway to New Zealand.
Closer to home, Northumberland Wildlife Trust is supporting the initiative and urging local communities to join volunteer nurdle clean ups along the North Tyneside and Northumberland coast.
The Trust is also urging supporters to sign a petition, which can be found online, calling on the UK Government to bring in tougher regulations around plastic pellet management.
Rowan Stanforth, Project Officer, Fidra says:
“The Great Global Nurdle Hunt provides crucial evidence of nurdle pollution but also shows decision makers that people really care and want to see further action to address this issue.
“Anyone can get involved and make an impact, by taking part and logging their findings www.nurdlehunt.org.uk or through our Nurdle Hunt App.”
Liz Kirby-Heard, Communities and Nature Manager at Northumberland Wildlife Trust, added:
“We’ve seen first-hand the passion and commitment of local people responding to the recent plastic pellet pollution incident in the Port of Tyne. The Great Nurdle Hunt provides a simple but powerful way for people up and down the coast of Northumberland and North Tyneside to make a difference, with each survey building a clearer picture of the problem and supporting efforts to prevent plastic pollution from harming our precious marine wildlife.”
Evidence from the Global Nurdle Hunt is vital for this work and Fidra are asking people across the world to join in this September and help be part of the solution.