Large numbers of nurdles are washing up in northern Spain following the loss of shipping containers in December. A tide of nurdles are polluting the beaches of Galicia and Astoria, with fears the spill will spread further and have devastating impact in the region.
A preventable disaster
The source of the nurdle spill has been identified as the container ship ‘Toconao’, operated by shipping company Maersk, which lost multiple containers during a storm on the 8th December off the Portuguese coast. One of these containers contained 1,000 25kg bags of nurdles.
So far approximately 70 bags have been identified washed up on the shore, with many broken open and releasing millions of nurdles into the environment. These nurdles have been identified as originating from Bedeko Europe, the Poland based producer .
The route taken by the Toconao follows major shipping routes of the global plastic supply chain, as demonstrated in the recent report, commissioned by Fidra, Mapping the Global Plastic Pellet Supply Chain. The report highlights the risk of spills along these trade routes and the potential for such spills to become increasingly common as global plastic production continues to increase. Nurdle spills are being reported worldwide and can have devastate wildlife and local communities, while also negatively impacting economies (see our Hong Kong Case Study).
What has been the response?
First on the scene has been local communities and volunteers. NGOs (including Noia Limpa, Surfrider Espania, The Good Karma Project and more) and volunteers have been quick to act, urging volunteers to help remove the nurdles from the local beaches. But all involved recognise it should not be up to public to clean up spills.
Local NGOs report that authorities have been slow to respond to the incident, citing a lack of clarity and coordination between local councils, regional authorities and national government. On the 9th January regional authorities in Galicia and Astoria implemented a level 2 alert, which allows for more resources and logistical support to be made available from national government to help deal with the spill.
Local groups demand action
There are currently no internationally agreed protocols for cleaning up plastic pellets after a spill and further guidance and international cooperation is needed to ensure resources and guidance is in place to deal with spills swiftly.
NGOs have also launched a petition, demanding further action and legislation to prevent future nurdle spills occurring. You can sign the petition here.
The Solution
To prevent further nurdle pollution entering the environment at all points along the plastic pellet supply chain Fidra along with NGOs around the world are calling for:
- A legislated supply chain approach, requiring all those handling pellets to prevent pellet loss at all points throughout the global supply chain. This includes 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, compensation and restoration ensure a swift response and that the polluter pays
- Legislation and enforcement in conjunction with international agreements, such as the UN Global Plastics Treaty, International Maritime Organisation agreements for transportation of nurdles at sea and the EU proposal for a Regulation on preventing pellet losses.