Nurdles: Here are some important things you need to know
'Nurdles' has become the new buzzword following the devastating #DurbanStorm, but how much do you know about the tiny plastic pellets?
Listen as Jane chats to Joan Porter, Director for Education at Ushaka Marine World, in the podcast, then read more below:
Week after week, my Facebook feed is awash with images of how our sea and marine life is in danger.
Read: Durban wildlife, marine centre work to repair storm damage
Just a few days ago, I saw an image of a seahorse with an earbud hooked at the end of its tail. Another image that comes to mind is one of a body of water bobbing with plastic containers and waste.
The beach is one of our favourite places for my family and I to visit over the weekend, but more and more often it ends with us leaving carrying a bag of someone else's rubbish away. I mean, who sits down, has a meal, and then leaves all the debris behind?!
Read: More recycling bag woes for Durban
After the devastating #DurbanStorm, small plastic pellets made their way onto the East Coast shores after a damaged ship container tumbled into the ocean. Nurdles are about the size of a lentil and is used in the manufacturing of plastic.
On Saturday, a group of volunteers got together from Richards Bay to Port St Johns in order to try and remove the nurdles from the coastline, which is now dotted with these little plastic beads.
Read: #WorldOceansDay: Marine scientists explore deep ocean habitats in KZN
Animals mistake the toxic ridden pebbles for food and the fragments enter the food chain, affecting the chain on all levels.
It's a scary thought wondering what state our beaches and planet as a whole are going to look like in years to come? It's a scary state of affairs...