Name: Plastic pellets called nurdles are swamping the world
Uploaded: 2025-11-27T18:56:48.017Z
Duration: 1 min 58 s
Description: Known as nurdles, they are used as a raw material in the manufacturing of plastic products.

Known as nurdles, they are used as a raw material in the manufacturing of plastic products.

A recent report by the charity Fidra has revealed that tiny plastic pellets known as nurdles are contaminating seawater in ecologically sensitive regions worldwide, including the Galapagos Islands and India. The report found nurdles in 23 biodiversity hotspots, with 90% of surveyed sites affected, posing risks to marine life and ecosystems.

Major spills in 2024 and 2025, caused by container ship accidents in the UK and off the coast of India, released millions of nurdles, impacting wildlife and local communities. Fidra is urging companies to adopt safer handling practices and calling on governments to implement mandatory regulations, as nurdles are difficult to clean up once released into the environment.

Plastic pellets called nurdles are swamping the world

From the Galapagos Islands to India, seawater is being swamped by tiny plastic pellets known as nurdles. A new report by CharityFidra has found that they're turning up in some of the world's most ecologically sensitive places, contaminating biodiversity hotspots in 23 regions. They're easily mistaken for food by marine life and can leach harmful chemicals into the ecosystem. This year we've seen two major nurdle spills happen around the world. So first one in March impacted the coast in the UK. After a container ship collision happened in the North Sea, millions of nurdles ended up washing up. And similar in May 2025, another container ship sank off the west coast of India and this also led to devastating nurdle spill where millions of pellets ended up washing up and devastating fishing communities as well as wildlife on this coast. Fidra's global Great Nurdle Hunt project found that 90% of surveyed sites contain these little pellets used as raw materials in the manufacturing of plastic products. It requires globally coordinated solutions alongside national action for effective prevention. So what Fidra are calling on, calling companies to do that handle pellets is to implement just good practice measures at all stages of the supply chain. So this can be simple measures, it's just to package them more safely when they're on board ships. And then we also need governments around the world to bring in effective laws to make these measures mandatory. It's almost too late once they're in the environment as they're very mobile and almost impossible to clean up because of their small size.

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