If you haven't yet heard, tiny plastic pellets called "nurdles" are washing up in large volumes on some beaches in the San Juan Islands.
Nurdles are the raw materials used to manufacture most plastic products, and end in up our oceans due to shipping spills, leaks, and drainage from factories. These pellets are usually less than 5mm, and sometimes as small and flat as lentils, which makes them very difficult to spot — and very easy for marine wildlife to consume.
As part of the Plastic-Free Salish Sea coalition, Lopez Solid Waste wants to learn more about where Lopezians are finding nurdles, particularly on public beaches. With better information, we can focus our clean-up efforts during our Great Islands Clean-Up events, and beyond, with a new focus on this prevalent and dangerous type of plastic pollution.
Next time you're on a beach walk, take a closer look at the sand around you — nurdles are hard to spot, unless you know what to look for. Here's a photo from a beach clean-up on San Juan Island in October:
If you find nurdles, let Lopez Solid Waste know — email sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org. Please remember to wear gloves when picking them up! Then, you can bring them to the Dump for FREE disposal. Residents can dispose of any litter collected in public places for free at the Dump — learn more at www.lopezsolidwaste.org/litter-noxious-weeds.
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