Plastic pellets are everywhere, said CALPIRG State Director Jenn Engstrom.
"They're tiny little pieces of plastic that are then melted down and molded to form other plastic items," she told KCLU. "Birds, fish, and turtles can eat them, causing harm. They also can just cause pollution in our lakes and waterways."
Plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, are the building blocks of plastic production and are shipped across the world in large quantities to be melted down and molded into water bottles, plastic bags and countless other items, explained Engstrom.
They can spill during manufacturing and transport, littering our land and waterways. Plastic pellets can also absorb toxic chemicals such as DDT, PCBs, and mercury. An estimated 10 trillion plastic pellets enter the oceans every year.
Engstrom said for the first time, the scale of the number of plastic pellets globally will be counted.
"You've probably passed by and didn't notice, but once you start paying attention, you'll notice that they're really everywhere. We just want to have a good documentation of how big of a problem this is and then use that to help catalyze change," she said.
Student volunteers from UCSB will be combing Depressions Point Beach near the UCSB campus on Saturday from 11 a.m.
