'The next week is vital' - Nurdle clean-up team issue update as work continues
The next few days of the plastic clean up on South Tyneside beaches are ‘vital’ according to removal teams.
The team trying to clear plastic pellets from South Tyneside beaches has said the following few days are ‘vital’ in their project.
The pellets, known as nurdles, started washing ashore early last week after an incident at the Port Of Tyne which saw a boat hit a crane.
An environmental group, also named Nurdle, arrived in the North East on Thursday, July 23 to support South Tyneside Council efforts to clean Littlehaven Beach.
An estimated 25 tonnes of plastic was spilled into the Tyne following the incident on Sunday, July 19.
The Environment Agency have described the issue as “deeply concerning” and are continuing to advise the public to not handle the plastic.
On Saturday, July 25 the Nurdle environmental group issued an update on their work in South Shields.
In a statement posted to social media they said: “We’re so happy with our progress, we are recovering hundreds of kg a day but more is on its way down the river.
“This, coupled with the pellets which were deposited Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday will be combined into one single tideline as we move towards Springs and pushed high up the beach. The next week is absolutely vital in recovery.
“This will determine how long this continues and presents a key point in reducing the environmental impact.
“We will never get every pellet, but this week we can make a real dent. You can be certain we will do everything in our power to get as much as we can.”
Fidra, an environmental charity that specialises in plastic pollution, has estimated that 25 tonnes would equate to around one billion individual nurdles.
Protesters gathered at Littlehaven Beach on Friday afternoon (July 24) to call for the government to follow the EU’s example to mandate for ‘zero plastic pellet losses’.
The Wind Orca vessel collided with the berthed container ship BG Orange with a ship then hitting a crane, hospitalising one Port Of Tyne worker.
Kim McGuinness, the North East Mayor, has called on the ship’s owners to start to contribute to the costs of the clean up operation rather than waiting for the outcome of an investigation.