Tiny pellets, big problem: How Christchurch is fighting plastics in our waterways
Unannounced site visits to Ōtautahi Christchurch plastic manufactures have revealed significant improvements in the fight to prevent nurdle pollution — stormwater’s tiny microplastic foe.
Nurdles are small plastic pellets used to make most plastic products, typically ranging from 2-5 mm in diameter. When they enter stormwater drains and flow into waterways, nurdles and other microplastics pose significant risks to marine ecosystems and public health.
Site visits help keep plastic out of waterways
In 2024, our compliance staff conducted a series of targeted visits to ensure businesses were doing their part to prevent plastics pollution.
Since then, follow–up visits show major strides are being made to keep plastic out of waterways. A total of 23 monitored sites have moved from high/medium priority to the low priority status in the last year.
Several companies are also stepping up to proactively prevent nurdle pollution by joining Operation Clean Sweep, a voluntary, industry-led certification and audit program that helps businesses to eliminate fugitive plastic loss and protect the environment.