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The first-ever International Plastic Pellet Count (IPPC) united over 1,000 volunteers from 14 countries to tackle plastic pellet pollution on beaches worldwide. Preliminary results indicate Australia recorded the highest average number of nurdles collected per volunteer in 10 minutes - 110 pellets - nearly double the US average of 60, as per data shared by Neil Blake, Port Phillip Baykeeper. While Texas alone logged an impressive 399 pellets per volunteer, lower counts in other US states brought the national average down, making Australia’s result the most significant overall.

This standout performance, primarily driven by data from Port Phillip Bay, places Australia at the forefront of global plastic pellet pollution monitoring. 🔗 Explore the IPPC results map

Local Evidence: The Nurdle Anymore Story

At a local level, the issue is stark. In 2023, 3198 Seaford BeachPatrol volunteers collected over 20,000 nurdles by hand along Kananook Beach. This eye-opening result sparked the Plastic Pellet Project – Nurdle Anymore, which conducted 11 audits between April 2023 and September 2024.

The audits logged 12,641 litter items, of which 99.9% were plastic; nurdles made up 57% of all debris, averaging ~73 pellets per square metre.

The project was a finalist in the 2024 Keep Australia Beautiful – Tidy Towns & Cities Sustainability Awards, demonstrating how local data can drive national attention and inspire community action. 🔗 Read the full audit summary

Beach Patrol Australia’s Litter Stopper platform reported 32,445 nurdles in 2024, continuing an upward trend from previous years (44,272 in 2023, 20,121 in 2022, and 19,613 in 2021), underscoring the persistent nature of the problem.

Fragmented reporting: a volunteer’s challenge

For many volunteers passionate about tackling nurdle pollution, the reporting process can be overwhelming and confusing. In recent years, those collecting nurdles have been asked to submit their findings to numerous platforms and initiatives, including:

• Great Global Nurdle Hunt (Fidra, UK)
• Nurdle Patrol (US-based citizen science app)
• Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI)
• Litter Stopper (a Beach Patrol initiative)
• Sea Shepherd’s Nurdle Hunt.

Many also submit pollution reports directly to state Environmental Protection Agencies. This patchwork of requests means volunteers often spend significant time entering the same data multiple times across different systems. Without a unified national or global reporting framework that links these efforts, valuable data risks being fragmented, limiting its impact driving effective policy and enforcement.

The bigger problem: lack of national coordination

Despite the passion and effort driving these projects, Australia’s response to nurdle pollution remains disjointed. Data flows through many channels but no single national framework consolidates results, identifies pollution hotspots, or holds polluters accountable. This fragmentation hinders the development of coordinated strategies and dilutes the power of community action.

Turning visibility into action

To effectively combat nurdle pollution, Australia must:

• Make prevention mandatory. Require every plastic-handling facility to adopt Operation Clean Sweep. (or PAS 510 standards) as a condition of their licence.
• Unify reporting. Develop and adopt a shared data template so citizen science platforms can auto-sync into an open national database, enabling real-time tracking and transparency.
• Set targets and enforce them. Publish pellet-loss figures, conduct routine audits, and penalise repeat offenders to drive accountability.

How you can help

• Join a count. Participate in the upcoming 2025 Port Phillip Nurdle Cup (September) and the Great Global Nurdle Hunt (October). Until a unified portal exists, upload your results to both Nurdle Patrol and Great Nurdle Hunt platforms.
• Report spills. If you find nurdles near drains, factories, or ports, submit an EPA pollution report online or via the 24-hour hotline. Every report builds evidence for regulators.
• Pressure industry. Encourage local manufacturers, transport depots, and ports to publish their pellet-loss data and comply with audit standards like Operation Clean Sweep.

We have the evidence thanks to projects like the Nurdle Cup and leaders like Neil Blake. Now we need collaboration, leadership, and enforcement to stop pellets at their source.

The world is watching, and what we do next matters.