QUICK TAKE: plastic pellet pollution & politics
26 tonnes of tiny little plastic balls are washing up on Spain's northern coast.
Millions of little plastic pelllets, apparently known in English as “nurdles”, are washing up on beaches across the whole of the north of Spain, spreading from Galicia to Asturias to Cantabria and even the Basque Country. A container ship called the Toconao lost six containers. Only one was carrying the 26 tonnes of tiny pieces of plastic in 1,000 25 kg sacks. The others were carrying tomatoes, aluminium and tires. They were lost on the night of December 8 off the coast of Portugal, who then informed Spain that same night, but this has only become a national news story this week. The regional government claims it didn’t find out about it until after the New Year. The regional seas minister, Alfonso Villares, is quoted in that article as saying “we can’t pick up all the individual little balls, we are getting lots of emergency calls; when they come in, we pass them on local town halls”.
The regional government also claims the pellets are not toxic, but environmental groups have filed a criminal complaint against the ship’s owner and captain for damage to the coastal environment and say the pellets do attract toxins which animals will then go on to eat, introducing the toxins into their bodies. The prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation. The most cited other example in the world seems to be Sri Lanka in 2021, when 1,600 tonnes of nurdles caused a huge mess after a container ship carrying them caught fire and sank. An Environmental Investigation Agency spokesman told The Guardian that: “They act as toxic sponges. A lot of toxic chemicals – which in the case of Sri Lanka are already in the water – are hydrophobic [repel water], so they gather on the surface of microplastics”.
Regional elections have been called in Galicia for February 18. The Popular Party (PP) is still in regional goverment there and is on course for another overall majority, according to the polls. The first thought on everyone’s mind was the Prestige oil spill disaster, also on the Galician coast, also with the PP in charge, 20 years ago. The central government blaming the regional government which blames the central government and shifts responsibility onto local town halls is classic multi-level political buck-passing a month before an important regional election, with a newly reappointed Sánchez already bogged down nationally in his amnesty deal with Pugidemont. None of the politicians want to own it. If the clean-up drags on though, which it certainly might, perhaps voters will make it an election issue anyway.
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The reported responses of the officials in this tragic affair are indicative if just how little they care. This is going to have serious repercussions down the line. Will you be comfortable in buying fresh fish from your local supermarket? Would you still consider spending some vacation on the beautiful Gallucian coast?