Have you ever heard of a nurdle? This funny-sounding word is another name for a plastic pellet - the raw material that gets melted down to make all plastic products. These tiny, round plastic pieces are often transported in huge volumes via shipping containers, and unfortunately, can be spilled by the thousands. This creates a huge pollution problem because these small but nefarious forms of plastic can travel by wind and water, ending up in our aquatic environments, and are nearly impossible to clean up. They also resemble fish eggs, which are an important food source for shorebirds and other marine life.
While the problem of plastic pellet pollution is well-known and documented, especially in hot spots like Texas, Louisiana, and the Great Lakes, we lack the data to back it up. Some data has been submitted and shared through Nurdle Patrol, but there’s much more to collect! That is how the International Plastic Pellet Count was started in 2025 by our partners at U.S. PIRG, Waterkeeper Alliance, and Environment America.
By collecting data, we can better understand the scope of the issue and identify areas most impacted by plastic pellet pollution. This also helps make the case for creating lasting change through policy solutions to prevent spills, like the federal Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act.
This year, the Surfrider Foundation is a co-sponsor of this effort! Several of our chapters and student clubs are signing up to participate, often in partnership with the local branches of the other organizations that are co-sponsoring. This is an amazing, nationwide collaboration to tackle plastic pellet pollution!
So how does it all work? It’s actually pretty simple!
- May 2 is the encouraged “day of action,” but you can conduct a pellet count anytime in the month of May!
- You can participate as an individual, small group, or organization hosting a public event. Whichever way you choose, please register here so we know you’ll be involved!
- You or your group will search for pellets in ten-minute increments. The timer starts when you find your first nurdle. Collect any pellets you find in a jar, which you will count once the timer stops.
- You need to keep track of: how much time you searched, the number of people involved, and the total nurdles collected.
- Report your results to NurdlePatrol.org or using their app.
Interested in joining a group effort? Some chapters and clubs are hosting their own internal pellet counts, but these are the ones that are hosting public events on Saturday, May 2:
California region:
Texas region:
Southeast region:
Hopefully, we’ll add more to this list soon. You can also find other organizations that are hosting public events on the map here. For more details and instructions, check out the pellet count toolkit and the short webinar here!
Hosting a pellet count on your own? We’d love to see your photos from the event! Please send them to cleanups@surfrider.org to show us what you found!
We can’t wait to see the results of this international effort. Thank you to anyone who is helping us address plastic pellet pollution!
