The Landmark Settlement That Could Get Plastic Pellet Pollution Out Of America’s Rivers

The Landmark Settlement That Could Get Plastic Pellet Pollution Out Of America’s Rivers

The Landmark Settlement That Could Get Plastic Pellet Pollution Out Of America’s Rivers This article was originally published by Grist , a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to reporting on climate change.  W hen Heather Hulton VanTassel went looking for plastic pellets in the Ohio River in 2021, she was simply trying to establish a baseline level of contamination. A new plastics facility was being constructed nearby, and she wanted to be able to compare the prevalence of pellets — known as “nurdles” — before and after it went into operation. The “before” number would probably be low, she thought. What she and her co-workers found, however, exceeded her expectations. “We were really shocked at the numbers we were seeing,” she told Grist . VanTassel is the executive director of Three Rivers Waterkeeper, a nonprofit that protects the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers in southwestern Pennsylvania. As she and her team went about testing the river four years ago, hundreds of…