Operation Clean Sweep is an international programme originally designed by the plastics industry and supported by The British Plastics Federation and PlasticsEurope. 

The OCS manual provides practical solutions to prevent loss for those who make, ship and use nurdles. The key message is that good handling practice can easily reduce pellet loss.

What does it involve?

Companies pledge to improve their set-up and operations to prevent and address spills. This usually begins with an audit to discover areas where pellet emissions are most likely. The OCS manual provides advice on carrying out an audit and potential procedures to implement.

Steps may include staff training, supplying spill kits and catch trays in areas where pellets are transferred, or improving filters in drains to catch spilt pellets. Not all the procedures in the manual will be relevant to every company.

Hundreds of companies across the world have already signed the Operation Clean Sweep Pledge and implemented good housekeeping and pellet containment practices, helping to protect the marine environment by keeping pellets out of our seas. However, this remains a small percentage of the plastics industry as a whole.

Sign up

The British Plastics Federation now accepts sign-ups from both member and non-member organisations. You can sign up online here.

Plastics Europe also hosts OCS through www.opcleansweep.eu, where you can also sign up. Here you can find more resources, such as check-lists for your facility and OCS brochures.

If you do not handle pellets directly, you can sign up as an official OCS supporter on the original US website here. This may be an option for trade associations or unions interested in supporting the project.

Our vision is that all companies handling nurdles sign the Operation Clean Sweep pledge.