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Plastic particle water pollution is a type of marine debris originating from plastic particles utilized in manufacturing large scale plastics. These pre-production plastic pellets are created separately from the user plastics they are melted down to form, and pellet loss is incurred during both the manufacturing and transport stages. Commonly referred to as nurdles, these plastics are released into the open environment and make their way into the ocean creating pollution in the water and on beaches.

Description
Plastic resin pellets are classified as primary source microplastics, meaning that they were intentionally produced at the size ranging from 1-5 mm in diameter. Approximately 60 billion pounds (27 million tonnes) of plastic pellets are manufactured annually in the United States. One pound of pelletized HDPE contains approximately 25,000 pellets (approximately 20 mg per pellet). They are typically under 5 mm in diameter. sediment/ beach 1–5 mm (pellet) PE (54, 87, 90, 78%), PP (32, 13, 10, 22%)

Nurdles are a major contributor to marine debris. During a three-month study of Orange County beaches researchers found them to be the most common beach contaminant. Nurdles comprised roughly 98% of the beach debris collected in a 2001 Orange County study.Waterborne nurdles may either be a raw material of plastic production, or from larger chunks of plastics. A major concentration of plastic may be the Great Pacific garbage patch, a growing collection of marine debris known for its high concentrations of plastic litter. Plastic pellet pollution that has been monitored in studies is mainly found in the sediments and beach areas and is usually polyethylene or polypropylene, the two main plastic polymers found in microplastic pollution.

Actions for creating awareness
On April 11, 2013 in order to create awareness, artist Maria Cristina Finucci founded The Garbage Patch State at UNESCO –Paris in front of Director General Irina Bokova. First of a series of events under the patronage of UNESCO and of Italian Ministry of the Environment.

Current progress and solutions
The plastic industry has responded to the increased interest and concern for plastic pellet loss and pollution sources. Operation Clean Sweep was created by SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association in 2001 and joined by the American Chemistry Council with the goal of zero pellet loss for plastic manufacturers. This voluntary stewardship program provides its members with a manual which guides them through ways in which they can reduce pellet loss within their own facilities and provides the necessary training.

The Great Nurdle Hunt occurring from June 2 - 5th 2017 across the United Kingdom drew attention to the issue of plastic pellet pollution. A program started by Fidra, a Scottish environmental charity, sourced information on nurdles from citizens across the region using shared photos to better understand the makeup of pollution across beaches in the UK. The nurdle hunts occurring earlier in 2017 determined that 73% of UK beaches had nurdle pollution.