Over a Million Nurdles Found in 2026 International Plastic Pellet Count

June 23, 2026

A new report from Waterkeeper Alliance and partners compiles and contextualizes findings from the second-annual International Plastic Pellet Count.

Throughout May 2026, more than 1,000 volunteers surveyed waterways at 249 sites across 31 states, the District of Columbia, and six countries. In total, they found nearly 1.1 million plastic pellets—almost 22 times last year’s final reported total—across more than half of the surveyed sites.

Volunteers participated in existing events or organized their own, then uploaded results to Nurdle Patrol’s online database. Using standardized protocols, they surveyed waterways in 10-minute intervals, with all data logged to calculate total counts.

Plastic pellet pollution is often most concentrated near sites where pellets are manufactured, used, or transported. In Texas, volunteers focused on areas along the Victoria Barge Canal near a plastic production facility. More than one million pellets were found in and along the waterway, including a staggering 715,000* collected by San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper and hundreds of thousands more by Nurdle Patrol volunteers.

In addition to San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper, seventeen Waterkeeper groups organized pellet counts, recovering and removing a total of 724,952 pellets (67.6% of the overall total) from shorelines and waterways around the world. Port Phillip Baykeeper in Australia recorded the highest international total, with 6,485 plastic pellets.

At least three participating Waterkeeper groups are taking legal action to combat plastic pellet pollution in their communities. Earlier this year, San Diego Coastkeeper reached a settlement to prevent nurdle spills from trains along California coastal railways. San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper and Congaree Riverkeeper in South Carolina currently have active litigation against plastics manufacturers.

Plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, are the raw material of plastic production. Melted down and molded into products such as bottles and bags, they can spill during manufacturing and transport, or be released through permitted industrial discharges, polluting land and waterways. An estimated 10 trillion plastic pellets enter the oceans every year.

Like other microplastics, pellets pose environmental and potential public health risks. They can absorb toxic chemicals such as DDT, PCBs, and mercury, which bioaccumulate and become more concentrated as they move up the food chain. Wildlife, including birds, fish, and turtles, often mistake pellets for food, leading to starvation and other harm.

In addition to Waterkeeper Alliance, other coalition partners include the American Bird Conservancy, Environment America Research and Policy Center, Environmental Action, Nurdle Patrol, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, U.S. PIRG Education Fund, and 5 Gyres.

*Because the sample was so large, San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper weighed it, subtracted the container weight, and multiplied the net weight (32.5 lbs) by an estimated 22,000 pellets per pound to calculate approximately 715,000 pellets. Additional pellets at this site were collected by other volunteers.