ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV) — Tiny pieces of plastic called nurdles are being spotted along train tracks and at beaches in San Diego County. Local nonprofits tell ABC 10News that they think they know who is responsible.
10News anchor Aaron Dickens went to Encinitas, where the nurdles are being found.
"Most people would not even know what these are. On the beach, they almost look like pieces of shell or eggs," Clare Swithenbank-Bowman, the founder of Trash4Tokens, says.
But they're not.
The nurdles are plastic pellets found in many plastic products.
We spotted them all along these train tracks on El Camino Real.
"It's very emotional. Once you see one, you see all of them. You are thinking how many marine life are eating and consuming these nurdles," says Swithenbank-Bowman.
Swithenbank-Bowman's nonprofit and many others are on a mission to clean up the nurdles.
"I have been picking up nurdles off of our beaches for 6 years," says Mark O'Connor from the Surfrider Foundation.
O'Connor claims the nurdles come from the trains transporting them.
He believes the trains are not sealed correctly.
"It is our problem in our own backyard. It has to stop," he says.
Trash4Tokens has joined several nonprofits in sending a letter to BNSF Railway.
They plan to file a lawsuit if actions are not taken to clean up the area.
The San Diego Coastkeeper and Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation made the following claim:
"BNSF Railway Company, a national railway operator, has been implicated in the consistent discharge of microplastics from its freight train cars into coastal lagoons. These microplastics, tiny particles resulting from the breakdown of plastic waste, are released into the environment either directly into the lagoons or through runoff into storm drains during rainfall events."
"The first priority is to put measures in place," says Swithenbank-Bowman. "To figure out how the spills are happening. To stop it from happening."
A spokesperson from BNSF Railway tells us they are investigating what the source of the pellets is.
"We take reports like this seriously. We have sent personnel out to inspect the railroad right of way and tried to locate/recover reported plastic pellets multiple times this year and as recently as this past week," the spokesperson said. "Where plastic pellets were identified, BNSF and its contractors recovered some minor amounts of pellets… but have not identified any specific sources."
Officials also tell us not to get close to the train tracks. Stay in areas designated for pedestrians like walking paths.
