Hundreds of volunteers participated in first-ever International Plastic Pellet Count

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 66% of the 368 of places where they looked, and 52,458 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 80 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. 

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