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The 21st of Februari together with Roelanda Posthumus, I sampled our transect ‘the Eemdijk’ for the second time (https://www.schonerivieren.org). This transect consist of a small dike body that transitions into a dense reed collar. The distance between the river and the slope of the dike varies between 8 and 25 m and is sometimes interupted by water, making it difficult to sample. Just like in the Autum sampling most litter seems connected to recreation. Mainly drinking bottles, food container remnants and tennis balls (for dogs) were found. But also Styrofoam parts is a consisting problem. No nurdles were found.

Decrease your footprint and increase your handprint in 2026

Autum monitoring for the Schone Rivieren Project (https://www.schonerivieren.org) takes place between 15 October and 15 November. This time I joint my new partner Roelanda to monitor a new site. The last 5 years my site was located in Hoek van Holland where the Nieuwe Waterweg is running into the North Sea. My new location is the river Eem near the Eemdijk. The transect was somewhat difficult since a large thick reed collar dominated the area. The findings suggested two origins of waste. A lot of Styrofoam pieces, probably brought by the River, while the other items were clearly due to be thrown away by locals, wanderers, loitering youth. Many booze bottles and tennis balls for dogs.

Examples of waste art, made of wool combined with ‘plastic’ waste. For me, wool represents a warm, soft and natural material, protecting you against the outside world. While plastics are unnatural and hard,  and as being waste forming a huge threat to our world.

Techniques used for the small wall hangings are dry and/or wet felting or knitting. The wool is coloured with plants. The plastic waste used was found during cycling tours along various beaches.

Hunting the nurdles

This summer I cycled over 3500 km and visited 82 beaches along the North Sea coast of Scotland, England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands in order to look for nurdles. My report about these nurdles finds is ready. The pdf may be downloaded here.

Cycling between Tongue and Altnahara, enjoying the Scottish highlands. So peaceful and undisturbed. But what do I notice in the ditches near the road, bottles and cans. How is this possible, what is on the mind of people trowing these out of their cars. It is a huge problem everywhere. I saw it at the Shetlands, at the Orkneys. I see it at home, and I do not understand. This problem is the most simple issue in the whole litter problem which could be solved so easily.

Being at the Orkneys was great,. In fact fairly close to the Schotland mainland. I stayed mainly on the main isle. Starting in Kirkwall heading for Stromness. Looking at the cultural highlights like Skara Brae and ring of Brodgar. The most striking part was the isle of Hoy, watching the amazing cliffs, the old man of Hoy. There so many seabirds were having their nests. Even the puffins gave me a glance. I continued my travel back to Kirkwall via St. Margaret’s hope toward Burwick, where I crossed the Pentland Firth to the mainland of Schotland. John o’Groats.

In between I also visited some beaches looking for nurdles. Out of 10 at 4 of them I found only one or two. But be aware, in debris at sandy shore it is easy to distinguish them, but in the often found rocky beaches here, they easily may disappear between the peddles.

Note that you sometimes find very strange items on the beach!!! Most beaches show besides kelp some netting, but in fact very little plastics.
The exact info about all findings of nurdles will be reported after my cycling tour.

I spent 5 days at the Shetlands to cycle, some birdwatching and looking for nurdles. I reached the most Northern house of the UK, which is also my most Nothern destination. I was so glad that I did not found them in either of the locations facing the North Sea and also not in the Holm of Skaw, where the North Sea is embraced by the Atlantic Ocean. However, one day later I reached Mavis Grind, where the geological ridge separate both Seas at limited distance. At the Atlantic beach, there were loads of high tide debris, filled with plastic litter and also lots of nurdles. Thus also the Shetland beaches are not clean and their sheep are feeding on it. Removing nurdles from the system is not really possible.

But I noticed another problem namely besides the highway there were cans and plastic bottles all over. That is an issue which could be solved easily I would think.

Between the 15th and 21st of June, I cycled along the East coast of the UK heading for Aberdeen. I visited ad random 13 beaches looking for nurdles. Normally I look for a spot where they might be and I do a search for 10-15 minutes in the upper tide line. Luckily most of the visited beaches did not contain them, even in high tide lines showing small plastics and foam beads. However near Dundee (15 nurdles) and the nearby smal place Broughty Ferry ( the stairway for the beach, was full of debris) there were again over 15 found. Often they were found together with the earsticks, meaning this is a freshwater river source. But this could be a coincidence. At Lunan beach there were spots of small foam beads and 2 nurdles found. My next heading are the Shetlands.

My first week of cycling brought me from NewCastle to North Berwick. Randomly I visite beach sites and look for nurdles. In 5 out of 7 I found nurdles in the high tide debris line. This is more than I expected. 2 times the amount was over 30 beads in area’s of about 1.5 by 2 m. Just in the surface debris. I wil registrate those to Fidra after my trip.
Just some examples below.