Stories from Illinois plastic pellet counts

Saturday, May 3, 2025 was the first annual International Plastic Pellet Count, a day to gather community science data on pollution from plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, in our environment. These lentil-sized pieces of plastic pollution are often overlooked in the plastic pollution conversation because they are entering the environment during the plastic production process, mostly having not yet become a consumer good that you or I might interact with. Despite that, plastic pellets are being found at beach cleanups and in our rivers, lakes and streams around the world.

The International Plastic Pellet Count was organized by Environment America Research & Policy Center, USPIRG Education Fund, the Student PIRGs, Environmental Action, Nurdle Patrol, Waterkeeper Alliance, and 5 Gyres, along with participants from local groups across the United States and over 20 other countries. This coordinated effort is helping to gather community science data on this form of pollution, all the while cleaning up some of this pollution. 

In Illinois, volunteers headed to local waterways to do a count, and unfortunately many of them found pellets. Here are some stories from the day:

Field report from Environment Illinois Research & Education Center volunteers on the Wild Mile

In coordination with our partners at Urban Rivers, Environment Illinois Research & Education Center staff and volunteers gathered at the Wild Mile, the floating eco-park on the North Branch of the Chicago River, to search for plastic pellets. On hands and knees, sometimes lying down to lean over the edge of the boardwalk, the team searched around the base of plants that were just emerging for spring for these tiny bits of plastic. “Once you see the first plastic pellet, it is near impossible to not see them wherever you look” remarked one volunteer.

In addition to finding plastic pellets and other plastic pollution, the team got to enjoy seeing wildlife along the river that the Wild Mile is helping to provide habitat for like ducks and geese. The day not only was a reminder that we have work to do to address plastic pollution in our waterways, but it also served as a reminder of the joy and beauty of thriving nature.

Field report from Abby Green, Northwestern student at Lake Michigan

54 degrees and windy are not my ideal conditions for a beach day, but on Saturday, May 3rd, I found myself on Clark Street Beach in Evanston. I was out on a mission: hunting for plastic pellets. Using the Nurdle Patrol app, I wandered the beach for ten minutes, looking for pea-sized plastic pieces and picking up other pieces of litter that I found along the way. When my ten minute count-clock ran out, my hands were red with cold but my mission was successful. In addition to the various pieces of single-use plastic I had picked up, I had unfortunately also found plastic pellets. As I walked back to my dorm shielding myself from the cold, I smiled and felt proud as I submitted my report to Nurdle patrol. Although a seemingly-small effort, I was happy to know that I could help make a difference, as well as be part of a larger environmental movement.

Field Report from John G. Shedd Aquarium on the Chicago River

Following a session educating school children about plastic pellets and the methods and importance of tracking them, several volunteers from the Shedd Aquarium stuck close to the river to search for pellets themselves. In 10 minutes with just 3 people, they found 52 pellets. 

One of these volunteers was Kathy Chu, a woman who had volunteered after the educational session to search with Krystyna Kurth and Sarah James, both Shedd employees. Chu talks about her shock at just how many pellets they found, saying “[w]hen you [Krystyna]were showing me how to collect nurdles and seeing how small they were I thought there was no way we would find any…I was shocked at how many we found when we started looking!”

Although the first International Plastic Pellet Count has passed, you can do a count at any time. All it takes is 10 minutes and the Nurdle Patrol app to collect data. It’s fun, it’s easy, and it can help build the support needed to address the plastic pollution problem.