Residents encouraged to 'hunt' for mysterious pellets spotted floating around shores: 'We are already seeing significant amounts'

If you've never heard of "nurdles," it might be because they're easy to overlook — and despite their goofy name and small size, the Isle of Wight's County Press reports they're a big problem. 

By now, the public is reasonably aware of microplastics, which are particles of plastic that are 5 millimeters in size or smaller. 

Nurdles are technically microplastics due to their size, but they're not a byproduct of the end of plastic's lifecycle. In a sense, they're kind of the opposite; nurdles are tiny, colorful pellets used to make plastic, often described as the "building blocks" of new plastic products.

Like most commercial plastics, nurdles are manufactured from dirty energy sources. But unlike regular microplastics, nurdles in the environment haven't had the chance to be a shopping bag, a beach toy, or a drinking vessel.

According to The Great Nurdle Hunt, nurdles are the "second-largest source of primary microplastic pollution" worldwide. The organization estimates that 445,970 tons of nurdles (983 million pounds) enter the ecosystem each year.

Although typical plastic waste and nurdles are at opposite ends of the plastic lifecycle, they pose similar threats to ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. Microplastics have been linked to numerous adverse health outcomes, and research has found them nearly everywhere on Earth.

As is the case in many coastal communities, nurdles are a nuisance on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. Throughout the month of October, residents have been encouraged to participate in Fidra's Great Nurdle Hunt.

Established in 2013, the Great Nurdle Hunt was developed to raise awareness about this truly insidious but deceptively cheerful form of marine habitat pollution. 

The Great Nurdle Hunt itself is a very straightforward citizen science initiative. Participants are asked to find nurdles, remove them from the environment, count them, and submit their findings to the event's website.

Fidra offered tips to new nurdle hunters on where and when to find nurdles. Shorelines, riverbanks, and lakes were identified as ideal sites, and "after high water" (such as a high tide) was suggested as the best time to find them, particularly at the waterline.

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Before the first week of October had ended, environmental groups reported high nurdle yields. Sarah Marshall of Planet Aware, an Isle of Wight-based marine advocacy organization, said that efforts were successful, but public awareness was still lacking.

"As the Island is close to shipping lanes and as we are already seeing significant amounts of plastic pellets on our shores, we feel drawing attention to these and what needs to be done to prevent their loss in the supply chain is vital," Marshall remarked.

If nurdle hunting sounds appealing, the Great Nurdle Hunt is not confined to the Isle of Wight — it's a worldwide effort. 

People in all countries are invited to take part in removing nurdles from the environment. Another way to help is by donating money to ocean cleanup efforts; using less plastic overall also reduces the amount that ends up in the ocean later on.

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