The Pembrokeshire Eco Champion Project last week welcomed new and existing partners to the next exciting phase of their war on Micro Plastics.
Representatives of Nurdle visited Freshwater West Beach to deliver their innovative Trommel device which offers users an engaging and proven way of removing tiny bits of plastics from the sand on our beaches.
Nurdle met local Eco Champion Coordinator Mark Bond in Pembrokeshire.
‘Micro plastics’ are considered to be ‘any bits of plastic polluting the environment that are smaller than 5mm in length’.
These are often broken bits of larger plastic items that have been weathered or broken down by the elements.
‘Nurdles’ are very uniform, rounded pellets of plastic and are generally part of the plastic making industry or are an element of the water treatment process.
They eventually find their way into the sea and wash in and out of our beaches on the high tide.
The Eco Champion Project began a micro plastic campaign in January, delivering more than 100 simple Micro Plastic Beach Clean Kits to families around the county.
Mark said: “The beach clean kits proved a massive success and were certainly a conversation starter which brought a lot of local people onto the same page where these horrible plastics are concerned.
“Now we’ve taken the campaign to the next level – phase two – by taking on one of these Trommels.
“Phase three is already being planned, and it promises to be huge!”
The Trommels are a large, frame mounted, metal-meshed drum, which can be filled with sand and can separate the organic material from the micro plastics.
Nurdle are developing opportunities to recycle the material collected.
The plan for 2020 is to invite coastal communities around Pembrokeshire – particularly those observing a lot of micro-plastics washing up on their beaches – to apply to The Pembrokeshire Eco Champion Project to host the Trommel.
It could also compliment a beach clean that might be organised in that area, adhering to any social distancing measures in place at that time.
A number of local Plastic Free Communities groups in the area have expressed an interest and enquiries from a number of volunteer beach clean groups are expected.
The Trommel tour will also be supported by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and National Trust Rangers who will be adding the apparatus to various educational road-trips they have planned for the summer.
Cllr Cris Tomos, Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “It was fantastic to host the Trommel device in Pembrokeshire and see what it could do.
“It looks to be a very effective and significant innovative product in the fight against micro plastics on our beaches.”
Mark Bond is urging anyone with an interest in hosting a Trommel or groups/schools who wish to learn more about nurdles and micro plastic to get in touch.
