The plastic pollutant that flies under the radar & needs urgent attention: pre-production pellets
Like the tides, the sea of plastic pellet pollution in waterways ebbs and flows. Surfrider Foundation Canada volunteers and staff have observed plastic pellets polluting beaches and industrial sites nationwide for over a decade. From our research, we’ve found direct evidence that plastic pellets are entering the marine environment from plastic production facilities in British Columbia’s lower mainland, particularly along multiple arms of the Fraser River. Sometimes just a few pellets are buried in the sand, other times the ground gleams white like snow thanks to the latest spill of polypropylene (PP), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic pellets, also known as nurdles. The plastics manufacturing industry uses nurdles to manufacture bags, bottles, containers, packaging, and other plastic products for commercial and industrial uses. It’s common sense to say that nurdles should not be in the water and washing up on beaches, yet they’re leaked like an ongoing solidified oil spill into Canadian and international waters every day.
Nurdles are about the size of a lentil, and are the second greatest source of microplastics in the ocean. During each stage of processing, nurdles are spilled into the environment. According to Vox,
“A nurdle often escapes from the plastic production process in mundane ways, slipping into drains at factories or spilling out of cargo containers while being transported by trains and ships. When nurdles are being loaded into trains, for example, they are often blown into rail cars using large hoses. The beads can leak around the edges of hoses at factories and out the sides of rail cars as they travel to distribution centers. Sometimes, however, a large spill — often during transportation — will send millions or even billions of nurdles out into the world all at once, coating shorelines with deposits so thick they could be mistaken for banks of snow.”
Unfortunately, cataclysmic spills also occur, usually during transportation. For example, with nurdles that are transported across the oceans in cargo ships. The largest nurdle spill in history took place in May 2021, when a container ship off of the coast of Sri Lanka caught on fire and sank, releasing an estimated 1,680 metric tons of nurdles into the ocean. According to Flora and Fauna International, it is estimated that 11.5 trillion pellets end up in the ocean annually. If linked in a chain, they would circle the earth one and a half times. Their small size and weight mean they are easy to transport, but very difficult to retrieve when they spill into the marine environment. Not surprisingly, plastic pellets persist in the marine environment and have been documented in more than 220 marine species. Scientific studies also show that pellet pollution poses a threat to human health based on their ability to soak up toxic chemicals, like endocrine disrupting toxins. Who is responsible for this pollution and what can be done to prevent it in the first place?
The solution is layered, and we all have a role to play. Simply put, plastic pellet pollution is industrial pollution. The plastics manufacturing and transportation industries are responsible for cleaning up their spills in railyards, parking lots, and factories and doing their best to prevent spills from happening in the first place. Spills of pellets often start around storm drains, and when it rains, the pellets float down the drain and into waterways. We recommend dedicated personnel at facilities handling plastic pellets to keep the areas where plastic pellets are stored and used free of pellets on the ground, and storm drain covers or filters installed, serviced, and maintained.
Government environmental laws and regulations need to be updated to clearly define plastic pellet pollution. The Canadian federal government has created a Code of Practice for the Environmentally Sound Management of Chemical Substances in the Chemicals, Plastics and Rubber Sectors and the plastics industry has created a guide of best practices for the manufacture, use and transport of pellets called “Operation Clean Sweep.” However, neither the federal Code nor Operation Clean Sweep are legally binding on pellet manufacturers. These measures need to become legally binding, which will also fulfill Motion-151, which was passed unanimously in the House of Commons in December 2018. This motion calls for a national strategy to address nurdles, so the federal government has a responsibility to take action on this pollutant, which is now 5 years late.
We recommend that the Government of Canada adopt and implement the key policy measures identified by Fidra:
• A legislated supply chain approach, requiring all those handling pellets to prevent pellet loss at all points throughout the global supply chain. This requires robust standards, certification schemes with third party audits and a public register to communicate compliance all backed by legislation and enforcement
• Classification of pellets as hazardous to ensure safer stowage and packaging of plastic pellets to prevent spills at sea and during transportation
• Mandatory reporting of plastic pellet spills at all points along the global supply chain
• Protocols and compensation in place if spills do occur to ensure a swift response and that the polluter pays
• National legislation and enforcement in conjunction with international agreements, such as the UN Global Plastics Treaty, to prevent nurdle pollution.
Additionally, the final round of negotiations is taking place in Busan, South Korea at the end of November. The Global Plastics Treaty should absolutely include measures to address nurdle pollution, as outlined by Fidra. If you haven’t already, sign the petition calling for an ambitious, legally binding Global Plastics Treaty.
What other actions can we take? The less plastic we collectively use, the less demand, and the less supply should be created, which in turn, hopefully will end up in less plastic pellet spills. You can also take action by participating in the Great Nurdle Hunt, writing to your MP and calling on them to demand federal action on nurdle pollution and include the recommendations from this blog, and by joining Surfrider as a volunteer or member.
We have the ability to curb nurdle pollution and stop them from flying under the radar. Let’s put a spotlight on nurdles and get decision makers taking action on this pollutant, keeping coastlines and waterways nurdle free!
