Are they valuable?
A global scavenger hunt is happening right now. I am often found looking for these small items on beaches around the world. During my hunts, someone will come up to me and ask what I am looking for. When I explain, the next question is often “Are they valuable?”
October hosts the 2025 Great Global Nurdle Hunt. I have been hunting for nurdles for at least 10 years – and have found quite a few. It all started on the beaches in the south of France, where I learned about this ubiquitous microplastic along with colleagues. A whole chapter in Connected by Water is dedicated to this topic, along with several papers and booklets. If you know me at all, you probably already know what a nurdle is! This year, I find myself searching for nurdles on the Space Coast of Florida. The data is certainly valuable, used by scientists and activists globally to combat the constant pressure to produce more of these microplastics. We need nurdles, but we also must change the way they are transported and processed, and we don’t need so many.
So yes, nurdles are valuable, at least in bulk, forming the basis of the plastic “food’ chain. I think the more interesting question is whether nurdle hunts are valuable. This is a massive citizen science research project which helps to collect data otherwise unavailable – certainly this has value. Participants gain an understanding of microplastic pollution and contribute to a wider public understanding of research and conservation – definitely valuable. I find these hunts therapeutic. Being on, in, near, or under the water is good for mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. A quest at the beach, which contributes data for a global research project seeking to reduce plastic pollution while enjoying the wonder and beauty of God’s world; yes, nurdles are valuable.
