Billion plastic pellets spilled into UK river after two ships collide

A collision between two ships has released roughly a billion tiny plastic pellets into England's River Tyne, in what The Guardian describes as a devastating spill. The pellets, known as nurdles, are small granules measuring about one to five millimeters across that serve as the raw material for manufacturing most plastic products. As The Guardian reports, up to twenty-five tonnes of the nurdles are involved, and they are now thought to have spread much further than officials first feared.

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