Only 28% of River Tyne plastic nurdle spill recovered, scientists estimate
Scientists estimate that most of the plastic nurdles spilled into the River Tyne have not been recovered and could continue to wash up on beaches.
18 tonnes of plastic nurdles spilled into the Tyne
An estimated 18 tonnes of plastic nurdles were spilled into the River Tyne after a collision between ships at the Port of Tyne in July.
Research by Newcastle University and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) found that only 5.14 tonnes had been recovered, despite volunteers spending thousands of hours cleaning beaches across the region.
The findings suggest that only about 28% of the spilled nurdles have been collected.
Nurdles may continue to wash up on North East beaches
Newcastle University and Cefas said the nurdles were “likely to have spread across the Tyne Estuary into the North Sea”.
The study found that some nurdles “may remain within the river system” and could continue to wash up along parts of the coastline, depending on weather conditions, winds and tides.
Gary Carsop, South Tyneside Council’s director of community action, said the multi-agency group responsible for the nurdle response “continues to work”.
Calls for changes to plastic transport rules
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said the findings were upsetting for people who valued the region’s coastline.
She said she had commissioned an independent investigation into the response and supported calls for changes to international rules governing the transport of plastic nurdles.
“It is vital that clean-up agencies are prepared and act quickly to continue their work in the event of an event like this,” McGuinness said.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk