A total of 5 556 tiny plastic nurdles were removed from Milnerton Lagoon during a community clean-up that saw more than 25 volunteers take part in the latest Great Nurdle Hunt.

Organised by Save a Fishie, the clean-up brought together members of the Junior City Council, the organisation’s A-Team volunteer squad and enthusiastic newcomers, who sifted through the sand in search of the small plastic pellets.

Volunteers turn out despite the wind

After two days of strong winds, volunteers were fortunate to have reasonably good weather for the hunt, with a breeze doing little to dampen their enthusiasm.

Armed with sieves of various shapes and sizes, the group spread across the sand and carefully searched for nurdles, which can be difficult to spot because of their tiny size.

Save a Fishie founder, Zoë Prinsloo, said the effort showed how small actions can make a difference in protecting the environment.

“Every piece of plastic removed from our environment can literally save a fishie,” Prinsloo said.

Tiny pellets pose a big environmental threat

Nurdles are tiny plastic pellets, usually only a few millimetres in size, which are used as the raw material in the manufacture of plastic products.

They can escape into the environment during transportation or handling and, once they reach beaches and waterways, can be extremely difficult to remove.

Marine animals can mistake nurdles for food, making the tiny pellets a potentially serious threat to marine life. South Africa has experienced the devastating impact of large-scale nurdle spills before.

In October 2017, a severe storm in Durban Harbour resulted in two shipping containers carrying approximately 49 tonnes of plastic pellets being lost into the water. Billions of nurdles were subsequently dispersed along the coastline, resulting in a major clean-up operation that continued for years.

Thousands of nurdles removed

The Milnerton Lagoon volunteers’ efforts produced an impressive result, with 5 556 nurdles collected during the hunt.

Alongside the nurdles, volunteers also removed 10kg of general litter from the area. The hunt included a fun incentive, with volunteers who found 50 nurdles able to choose a surprise gift from a gift bag.

The prizes provided an extra bit of motivation as participants searched the sand for the tiny pellets.

Save a Fishie thanked everyone who gave up their time to take part, highlighting that whether a person collected one nurdle or hundreds, every pellet removed made a difference.

ALSO READ: Join the nurdle hunt Save a Fishie