Every day, millions of tiny plastic pellets known as nurdles spill into the environment. These small, lentil-sized beads, typically about 2–5 millimetres in diameter and often round or oval in shape, are the raw material for most plastic products, from bottles to packaging, and they’re causing a quiet but serious environmental crisis. In Malta, as across the world, they wash up on our beaches, pollute the sea, and harm marine life.
Once released into the environment, nurdles are almost impossible to clean up. Their small size means they can easily blend into sand and seaweed, and they are often mistaken for food by fish, seabirds and turtles. If ingested, nurdles can block digestive systems or introduce toxic chemicals into the food chain. These chemicals include persistent organic pollutants, which can accumulate in animal tissue. Unlike plastic bottles or bags, nurdles often escape public attention, as they may go unnoticed on beaches due to their size. However, the scale of the problem is enormous. It is estimated that over 230,000 tonnes of nurdles are lost globally each year, equivalent to more than 10 billion plastic bottles.
In Malta, beach surveys regularly find nurdles along the coast, from busy tourist areas to remote rocky shores. Their presence is a sign of wider systemic issues in the plastic production and transport process. A single spill or leak at sea or near a port can result in thousands or even millions of nurdles being released. To combat this issue, the Scottish environmental charity Fidra launched the Great Global Nurdle Hunt – a citizen science campaign that empowers communities to monitor pellet pollution on their coastlines.By taking part in a nurdle hunt, everyone can gather vital data to highlight the scale and spread of this pollution.
The process is simple: Visit your local beach, look for nurdles, count and record them, and submit your finding. This data will feed into global and European efforts to tighten regulations around plastic pellet handling, storage, and transport. It supports calls for legally binding measures to prevent nurdle spills, something which is currently lacking in most regions, including the EU.
An interesting local initiative worth highlighting is the ANDROMEDA project, led by the University of Malta’s Oceanography Research Group, which aims to advance our understanding of micro- and nanoplastics by combining citizen science with cutting-edge technology. Led locally by Prof. Alan Deidun and Dr. Adam Gauci, the project has developed a smartphone app that allows beachgoers to collect and photograph microplastics and upload the images. These images are analysed using an AI algorithm to identify and categorise plastic particles, thereby contributing to a wider European database. This approach not only enriches scientific research but also raises public awareness and empowers communities to participate in monitoring and protecting Malta’s coastal environment.
Over the past years, Friends of the Earth Malta has been actively tackling nurdle pollution through hands-on activities. During a clean-up, our team took part in a nurdle hunt and collected over 3,000 pellets from the Maltese coastline. More recently, in August, we collaborated with local Scouts as part of the Blue Flag programme at Golden Bay, organising an educational event on nurdles and raising awareness about the importance of protecting Posidonia oceanica, a seagrass species vital to marine biodiversity. These actions link directly to our wider Waste Campaign, which advocates for reducing plastic use, stronger legislation, and holding industry accountable for plastic pollution.
Follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with our activities and events.Every piece of data collected helps build pressure for change. It also raises awareness in local communities and helps spark action from industry and policy makers. The more people take part, the better we can show that this invisible pollution is impossible to ignore.
Join us during the month of October to search and report nurdle findings on both the Andromeda App and via the Global
Nurdle Hunt website: Take Part
Paulina Krauth
Campaigns Support Intern