Hundreds of volunteers used colanders and shovels on Monday to sift through sandy beaches in the northwest Galicia region, tackling the aftermath of millions of plastic pellets washed up on the coast, setting off environmental concerns and a political blame game.
Commonly referred to as mermaid tears or nurdles, these pellets, essential in the production of everyday items such as water bottles and shopping bags, contribute to the global issue of plastic pollution in oceans and rivers.
The millions of pellets washed up in Galicia originated from at least one container that fell from the Toconao, a Liberia-registered vessel chartered by shipping giant Maersk, off the coast of Portugal last month, as stated by the pellets’ manufacturer Bedeko Europe.
Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister María Jesús Montero expressed the government’s concern about potential ‘serious repercussions’, although the exact impact and its effect on fishing were still unknown, she told state broadcaster TVE.
The scenes of residents using household items to assist in beach clean-up brought back memories of Galicia’s worst environmental catastrophe in 2002 when a spill of 63,000 tonnes of fuel oil forced the closure of Spain’s richest fishing grounds.
A 2020 report by the Pew Charitable Trusts estimated that approximately 10 trillion plastic pellets contaminate marine ecosystems annually.
The environmentalist group Ecologistas en Accion criticised the regional government for its ‘inaction two weeks after detecting the spill’ and announced plans to file an environmental crime complaint against Toucan Maritime, the Dutch owner of the vessel.
Alfonso Rueda, Galicia’s regional leader from Spain’s right-wing People’s Party (PP), accused the central government of being aware of the pellet dispersal for over two weeks but only informing his administration on 4 January.
Madrid’s representative in Galicia stated that the maritime rescue service had initially informed regional coast guards about the incident on 20 December.
🔴 AMPLIACIÓN
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) January 8, 2024
La Fiscalía de Medio Ambiente abre diligencias por el vertido de pellets en la costa gallega https://t.co/7C57AMsXwi pic.twitter.com/PZCJklRC0m
La Xunta de Galicia descarta elevar al nivel 2 la fase de emergencia por el vertido de pellets de plástico en la costa gallega y pide que se hagan recogidas "de manera ordenada".https://t.co/uZhWee1s26 pic.twitter.com/yWlnbq9mfL
— EFE Noticias (@EFEnoticias) January 8, 2024
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