Before the school year starts, go on a ‘nurdle hunt’

Summer is nearing its end which means the school year is just around the corner. While this can be a time of the year involving a lot of ‘newness’ –a new grade, a new teacher, new friends– it’s also a time of year that can make us question, how many new things do we really need?

Back-to-school shopping often means a lot of new plastic things, from lunch boxes and water bottles to the plastic found in our clothes. Plastic may seem cheap, but when we look into the unseen costs -the externalities- there is a big cost to our planet and public health. 

Plastic is really just repackaged oil and gas. Its unseen costs extend from its production, processing, and waste to the drilling of raw materials, emissions made during production stages, to the additives that leach into our environment, and the inevitable plastic pollution (both before and after a product is used)– the cost to our environment and public health add up.

A great way to build awareness of plastic’s life cycle, plastic pollution, and instill that one last summer life lesson we want our kid(s) to learn is to go on a nurdle hunt. A nurdle hunt can be a unique and adventurous way to contribute to citizen science efforts to track plastic pellet pollution. A nurdle hunt means going out and looking for plastic pellets by a beach, river, lake, or railroad track near you. Beyond science, it provides an opportunity to go outdoors, get some physical exercise, bond, and create a sense of stewardship and responsibility towards the land.

Read our guide for tips on how to organize a nurdle hunt.

Going on a nurdle hunt is a great opportunity to talk about broader issues surrounding plastic. What is plastic made from? What happens to things after they are put in the recycling bin? What happens to plastic as it breaks down into microplastics? Does plastic biodegrade? 

It can also spark further topics of discussion and actions, like how could your household/ community/ school/ city cut down on its plastic use? What can you do about plastic pollution in your area? Are there alternatives to buying new plastic school supplies every year?

Here are a list of terms you might want to go over with your kid(s):

• Microplastic: Plastic debris that is less than 5 mm in length is considered microplastic. That’s the width of the end of a pencil.
• Single-use plastic: Plastic products that are designed or intended to be used once and discarded. 
• Packaging: Containers, bags or other wrapping that can be used to contain stuff we buy  and are often thrown out after use. 

Plastic Pellet/ Nurdle: is a small plastic pellet used within the plastic supply chain to make just about every plastic product, from single-use plastic bottles, to toys, to car bumpers.