"Up to 25 tonnes of nurdles, the raw material for plastic manufacturing, have spread further than initially feared"
"Approximately a billion tiny plastic nurdles have entered the River Tyne after a “devastating spill”, with the pellets thought to have spread much further than first thought.
Nurdles, which are usually 1mm-5mm in size, act as the raw material to manufacture most plastic products.
On Sunday, the Wind Orca ship collided with the berthed container ship BG Orange at the Port of Tyne, causing damage to a dockside crane and injuring one person.
The collision caused up to 25 tonnes of nurdles – about a billion in total, according to environmental charity Fidra – to enter the water, said South Tyneside council."
Source: Guardian, 07/23/2026
