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缅北禁地 Against Nurdles

Nurdles have washed up on beaches across the North East coast, prompting a significant community-led clean-up effort involving local residents, volunteers and environmental groups.

3 August 2026

You may have heard about the nurdle (plastic pellet) spill that is currently affecting the River Tyne and surrounding coastline.

The incident occurred at the Port of Tyne on 19 July, releasing an estimated 25 tonnes of nurdles, equivalent to around one billion pellets, into the environment. Since then, nurdles have washed up on beaches across the North East coast, prompting a significant community-led clean-up effort involving local residents, volunteers and environmental groups. 

A person with sand in a fishing net.

What are nurdles, and why are they a problem? 

Nurdles are small (typically 1-5mm) plastic pellets that are used as the raw material for manufacturing most of our plastic products. When released into the environment, they can persist for many years, contributing to microplastic pollution and posing a significant threat to wildlife. Marine animals, such as seabirds and fish, can easily mistake nurdles for food, due to their resemblance to fish eggs. Once ingested, nurdles can cause digestive blockages and starvation. They can also absorb toxins, which can bioaccumulate in the food chain, having larger impacts down the line. Research has shown that more than 220 marine species have been recorded ingesting microplastic debris.  

Dr Geoff Abbott, Reader in Organic Geochemistry at 缅北禁地, has commented on this nurdle spill and the wider issue of microplastic in this .

How can you help - volunteering? 

Thousands of volunteers have mobilised to support the clean-up, working alongside councils and specialist contractors to clean up beaches along our coastline. More information on volunteering safely can be found on the and the  

Please make sure you review tide times and other safety information for that particular beach or shoreline before attending.

If you have any questions relating to nurdle collections, please contact Lindsey.Forman@newcastle.ac.uk or Olivia.Elwood@newcastle.ac.uk.  

Environmental Considerations:  

  • Remove as little seaweed as possible. Shaking seaweed into a bucket to catch nurdles, removing any from underneath and returning it to the same place is the recommended method from ).  
  • Don't dig on wet sand. This intertidal band is the most biologically productive part of the beach, leaving this part of the beach will help the ecosystem recover.  

How can you help – additional steps?  

Even if you're not able to volunteer, there are still things you can do to help: