The enormous quantity of tiny plastic beads stranded on the beaches across the Galicia region is threatening the local ecosystem.
Millions of small plastic particles, also known as nurdles or mermaid tears, have washed ashore on several beaches along the coastline since December 15, 2023, according to the local environmental organization Noia Limpa. About 70 bags of plastic pellets, each weighing around 25kg, were discovered on the beach by Noia Limpa. Many other plastic particles spilled out of torn bags, threatening the local ecosystem, as reported by Newsweek on January 9.
“The first complaints came in mid-December 2023. People began sending us photos of plastic bags on Espiñeirido beach on the social media platform Instagram,” said Madison Hourihan, founder and director of Noia Limpa. “Upon receiving information from other coastal areas, we found even more plastic particles.”
These plastic pellets are used to manufacture various plastic products and are designed to melt into a liquid form to be molded into different shapes. They are often smaller than 5 millimeters, making it challenging to clean them from the environment when dispersed due to their super-light nature. Each year, 230,000 tons of plastic pellets enter the oceans, becoming the second-largest source of plastic pollution. The plastic particles are often laden with chemical pollutants and toxins from the environment and serve as hosts for various bacteria, including E. coli and Vibrio, which can pose a threat if ingested by marine animals.
“Plastic pellets are very durable and can persist for a long time,” explained Ian Williams, a professor of applied environmental science at the University of Southampton in the UK. “They do not easily break down and over time can become smaller particles known as microplastics, which are even more challenging to remove. Worse still, plastic pellets can absorb toxic chemicals from the water.” According to Williams, chemicals from the plastic can alter the bacterial life in seawater, harming organisms essential for oxygen production in the ocean and disrupting the marine food web, thereby affecting the local economy dependent on fishing.
The bags of plastic pellets are labeled with the name of the company Bedeko Europe in Poland and were transported on a Liberian container ship. Some containers fell off the ship on December 6, 2023, and drifted through the waters off the coast of Portugal. One container containing plastic pellets floated ashore, covering beaches in Galicia, the northern region of Spain. Despite the scale of the disaster, Noia Limpa is struggling to obtain a permit to remove the plastic particles from the beaches. The environmental organization Adega also criticized the government for the slow response to the accumulation of plastic pellets. Meanwhile, Noia Limpa is planning to call for volunteers to clean the beaches, but this process may take a considerable amount of time.
