Nurdle Hunts
In 2021, we made a significant stride towards preserving the health of the Great Lakes by introducing nurdle hunts along their shores. We had found nurdles during our litter cleanups before that, but we hadn’t realized how big this problem was right here in our own backyard. Nurdles, tiny plastic pellets used in the production of plastic products, have become a pervasive environmental concern due to their harmful impact on aquatic life and ecosystems.
Understanding the urgency of the situation, we took on the responsibility of organizing nurdle hunts in partnership with The Great Global Nurdle Hunt, mobilizing local communities and environmental enthusiasts to participate in these crucial efforts. Through these hunts, not only have thousands of nurdles been collected, preventing them from circulating within the lakes, but awareness has also been raised about the broader issue of plastic pollution. By empowering individuals and fostering a sense of communal responsibility, we are making significant progress toward ensuring a greener and more sustainable future for the Great Lakes and the communities that rely on them.
By attending one of our nurdle hunts, you will also join other nurdle hunters from around the world in an effort to gather data and hold the international plastics industry responsible for plastic waste and better plastic solutions.
The Problem
Nurdles are the building blocks of all things plastic. They are small, lentil-sized virgin plastic pellets used by manufacturers to make everything from water bottles to storage containers. Every year, trillions of nurdles are produced, and each year, up to 230,000 tonnes of them find their way into our oceans. Our lakes provide us with essential drinking water which poses another potential problem - Are we drinking microplastics? OrbMedia put out a recent study that analyzed 159 water samples from both tap and bottled water in 14 countries and discovered that more than 80% of all samples contained tiny plastic particles, with an average of 4.34 plastic particles per litre of water.
Plastic and its production are central to consumer culture. As a result, the more we buy, the more plastic is produced and the more toxins are released into the environment. The absence of preventive regulations and action by plastic manufacturers will continue to harm the environment.
How do Nurdles Affect Our Environment?
When nurdles enter our environment, they endanger wildlife. Because of their size and colour, fish and birds perceive nurdles to be fish eggs. When these pellets enter an animal's stomach, they cause ulceration, making the animal feel full, and causing the animal to stop eating, leading to starvation and death. Fidra mentions that when pellets are ingested by organisms, they can become stuck in their internal organs, and the toxins can seep into their bloodstream causing irreversible damage.
Finally, this is a never-ending cycle. The toxic chemical trend continues up the food chain, potentially causing a variety of health issues in both animals and humans who consume them.
Photograph: Saman Abesiriwardana/Pacific Press/Rex/Shutterstock
What Are Nurdles Made Of?
Properties
lightweight
can easily be blown into lakes from the land
transparent
making them harder to see and clean
buoyant
making them easier to float and travel distances
toxic
nurdles contain chemicals that contaminate the water
Chemical Properties
phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), flame retardants & organotins
Plasticizers/chemicals that soften materials
Reactive chemicals that seep into the environment
poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)
these chemicals have been found in nurdles and cause internal buildup in animals; they also attract pathogenic microorganisms like E.coli and Vibrio spp
POP’s: Persistent Organic Pollutants
Where Do We Find Nurdles?
Top 5 places with the most nurdles
Marie Curtis Park, Etobicoke: 54,086
Sunnyside Beach, Toronto: 44,040
Hamilton Beach A, Hamilton: 12,687
West Beach, Port Hope: 10,782
Humber Bay Park East, Etobicoke: 9,511
To date, we have picked up over 167,000 nurdles
Click to enlarge map, click red flags to see how many nurdles were found in each location
Rochelle Byrne, Executive Director, A Greener Future
“Most people I chat with have never heard of a nurdle before. How are we supposed to solve this problem if no one knows about it? The thing I like most about hosting nurdle hunts is that it opens the lines of conversation. All the volunteers who attended an event can continue taking action by sharing their experience with others and raising awareness about microplastic pollution.”
The Solutions
Awareness
Most people don’t know what a nurdle is and are completely unaware that they are a problem in our Great Lakes. If no one knows about the problem, how can we fix it? Polluters will continue with business as usual and we will see nurdles continue to accumulate in the Great Lakes and Oceans. Each time we host nurdle hunt events we have bystanders come to ask what we’re up to, and those are the best conversations. By educating the public about nurdles and their hazards we make progress toward better solutions because more citizens are educated and able to speak up.
Cleanups
More attendance at nurdle hunts proves that we care about the health of our environment and are serious about taking action. Cleaning up nurdles is not easy. It takes physical labour, but it is well worth the work. Each nurdle picked up means one less to be ingested by wildlife or to degrade and pollute our drinking water. Simply put, we can’t just leave nurdles out there to continue to contaminate our environment and the only way we can possibly clean up this mess is if we do it together.
Regulations
By organizing nurdle hunts, we can collect data that is critical in demonstrating to industries and governments the scale and impact of microplastics locally. We can then use that data to hold industries accountable for spills, and there will be a greater emphasis on improving plastic industry procedures, policies, guidelines, and training to prevent future environmental disasters.
