Denmark nurdles may be from Tyne spill, agency says

Denmark’s Environment Protection Agency says plastic pellets found on the country’s west coast probably came from the River Tyne spill in north-east England. The finding suggests the pollution has travelled across the North Sea to the Wadden Sea, a protected coastal area.

Tests by the agency and Aarhus University found the pellets shared characteristics with those spilled from the Tyne, and their arrival in late September and early October matched North Sea currents. No other recorded spill in the region was identified as a likely source. About 28% of the billion pellets spilled in August were believed to have been recovered by September.