Microplastic Monitoring Volunteers Find Nurdles and More.

A week ago Waterspirit’s Program Manager, Anne Price, and volunteers, Maryrose and Bill Little, met at Snug Harbor in Highlands, NJ to sample for microplastics in the sand. We are sorry to say, we found plenty of plastics. It was easy to see plastic litter such as cigarette tips, broken toys, bottle caps and more. But as we screened the sand and looked closer we discovered many microplastics that we might not have noticed. Unfortunately, wildlife notices those tiny bits. They often mistake the microplastic for food, especially the nurdles. Nurdles are tiny pellets used to make plastic products. Accidental spillage and mishandling means billions of nurdles end up in the ocean, creating problems within the marine ecosystem. That may be how plastics enter the food chain. We will keep doing our part to protect the sacred water.