Only 28% of nurdles 'recovered', researchers say
Researchers estimate that only 28% of the plastic nurdles spilled into the River Tyne following a ship collision have been recovered. The remaining particles are expected to continue washing up on beaches in the future as they disperse into the North Sea. Local officials have commissioned an independent review and are calling for changes to international regulations regarding the transport of plastic nurdles.
- ▪Approximately 18 tonnes of plastic nurdles spilled into the River Tyne after a ship collision at the Port of Tyne in July.
- ▪Volunteers have recovered only 5.14 tonnes of the spill despite spending thousands of hours clearing beaches across the region.
- ▪Scientists from Newcastle University and Cefas state that nurdles have likely dispersed beyond the Tyne estuary into the North Sea.
- ▪North East mayor Kim McGuinness has commissioned an independent review into the response and supports calls for stricter international transport rules.
- ▪STAC advised that complete recovery of every nurdle is not achievable and that ongoing monitoring is essential.
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| Publication time | Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:16:06 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-30T12:17:01.495Z |
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Only 28% of nurdles 'recovered', researchers sayImage caption, Millions of plastic nurdles washed up on beaches following the ship collisionByDan HallNorth East and CumbriaPublishedJust nowOnly 28% of nurdles which spilled into a river have been recovered and are expected to continue washing up on beaches in the future, scientists have calculated.Almost 18 tonnes of plastic nurdles are estimated to have spilled into the River Tyne after a collision between ships at the Port of Tyne in July.However, only 5.14 tonnes have been recovered despite volunteers spending thousands of hours clearing beaches across the region, work by Newcastle University and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) found.South Tyneside Council's director of community operations Gary…
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