The entire west coast is affected by plastic pellets, and it is 'a virtually impossible task'
Tiny plastic pellets have recently washed up on several beaches along the west coast, and they could become a major problem for several bird species.
The plastic pellets are hidden in the sand and are therefore difficult to remove, says Andreas Rahbek from the Danish Nature Agency, Wadden Sea. (Photo: © Mathias Thomsen, DR) 15 minutes ago
During his routine inspection of Lakolk Beach on Rømø last week, forest ranger Anders Rahbek from the Danish Nature Agency, Wadden Sea, discovered something unusual.
The high tide, upon receding, had left behind seaweed, feathers, and some mussel shells at the water's edge.
But among them also lay countless small plastic pellets that made Anders Rahbek's eyes widen.
The white plastic pellets are still there, and it bothers him.
"They don't belong here on the beach. We try to keep the beach free of all the waste that comes in from the sea, but this is so small that we simply cannot handle it with our normal waste collection," says Anders Rahbek.
Anders Rahbek stands on Lakolk Beach on Rømø, where the sea has driven tiny plastic pellets in among seaweed and feathers. (Photo: © Mathias Thomsen, DR)
It is not only on Rømø that this is a problem.
All the way from the German island of Sylt and up to Løkken, the small pellets, also called microplastics due to their size under five millimeters, have been spotted.
>
> It's just the right size for a tasty morsel
>
-------------------
Dangerous for the birds
-------------------
The culprit behind the suddenly appearing plastic pellets is likely to be found on the other side of the North Sea, near the English city of Newcastle. There, an accident occurred this summer with a ship that was transporting millions of small plastic pellets.
Those pellets are identical to the ones now seen on several Danish beaches, says Signe Simonsen.
She is the managing editor of the software company Race for Oceans Technology, which works on mapping microplastics on Danish beaches.
Nearly 18 tons of plastic pellets were released into the sea during the accident, writes the responsible port, Port of Tyne, and some of them have also drifted into the North Sea, the port confirms.
You have to dig in the sand with your fingers to collect the small plastic pellets. (Photo: © Mathias Thomsen, DR)
Besides the fact that the unnatural appearance of the plastic pellets does not enhance the beach, they are also a major problem for a number of bird species.
This is according to Kim Fischer, board member of the Danish Ornithological Association, Southwest Jutland.
"When they lie floating around on the beach and maybe get buried in algae, the birds can think it is something they can eat. The size means it's just the right size for a tasty morsel," he says.
"If a bird eats something like that, it stays in the bird's stomach, and then as it eats more of it, it fills its stomach with plastic pellets, and eventually it simply dies of starvation."
The plastic pellets, which have presumably traveled all the way from England, have spread widely on the beach on Rømø. (Photo: © Mathias Thomsen, DR)
With a size that can resemble a common garden ant, a classic beach cleaner is not effective for removing the plastic pellets.
That is the assessment from Steffen Krogager Madsen, district manager at Roads and Parks in Varde Municipality, where microplastics have also been found in several places.
Therefore, there is currently no smarter solution than to squat down, stick out your fingers, and start sifting through the sand.
"As things look right now, it would be a virtually impossible task. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack," says Steffen Krogager Madsen.
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.