Dear Recycle Lady,
What is the difference between nurdles, microplastics and microbeads?
Need Clarification
Dear Need Clarification,
Nurdles, which are small lentil-sized pellets, are the building blocks for various plastic products, such as bottles, containers, and toys, according to nurdles.org.uk. Nurdles break down into smaller pieces of plastic called microplastics that are less than 5mm (¼ inch) in size. These small pieces of microplastics continue to break down into very tiny balls of plastic called microbeads. These microbeads are found in personal care items such as cosmetics, toothpaste, and facial scrubs. The microbeads continue to break down into even smaller particles called nanoparticles that are ten thousand times smaller than a millimeter. All of these tiny pieces of plastic will continue to have an impact on our environment for centuries. They are in the air, the soil, and the waterways. They have been found in food, beverages, salt, sugar, and bottled water.
In the oceans, microplastics can be ingested by plankton, which is the very foundation of the marine food chain. Plankton is eaten by marine animals and seabirds, which are eaten by fish and larger marine animals, which in turn are eaten by even larger animals, such as orcas and polar bears.
On land, microplastics are in our waters and agricultural soil. Since they are not biodegradable, microplastics continue to travel up the food chain and are eaten by wildlife, animals, and humans. Microplastics and nanoparticles have been found in human hair, tissues, and blood. Just last year, micro- and nanoplastic particles were found in human kidneys, liver, and brain, according to medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-scientists-microplastics-human-brains-kidneys.html.
Dear Recycle Lady,
The sandwich meat that I purchased last week came in a plastic container with a small cardboard label glued to the lid identifying the product. When I removed the cardboard label, the glue remained on the label. However, I was able to remove the glue easily by running my thumb over it. Was it necessary to remove the glue before I put the cardboard label in the cardboard recycle bin?
Recycler
Dear Recycler,
Good thinking. Yes, the glue definitely needs to be removed from the cardboard label before putting it in the recycling bin, so that it doesn’t contaminate the other cardboard. Likewise, letters from charitable organizations often come with a paper, or plastic, membership card glued on the letter. After removing the membership card from the letter, be sure to remove any glue from both the paper membership card and the letter before recycling the letter with office paper and the paper membership card with cardboard. Since the membership cards – and your label – are small, it is helpful to put them in a larger cardboard box before recycling it all with cardboard as small pieces of any recyclable product become litter on the floor during the bailing process. If the membership card is plastic, put it in the trash.
Dear Recycle Lady,
Today, I washed a container and it’s top to prepare it for recycling. The bottom of the container had a “1” inside the recycle triangle, so I knew it would recycle. However, I could not find any number or recycle symbol for the top part. If the bottom is recyclable, does that mean that the top is also recyclable?
Puzzled
Dear Puzzled,
Thanks for washing out your container. It is extremely important that all recycled items are clean and dry. Unclean items put in recycling can contaminate an entire load of recycle items, which then must be discarded. To answer your question, all plastics with a recycle triangle that have a “1” or a “2” inside may or may not be recyclable locally. Our local Recycling Center only accepts #1 and #2 plastic bottles and jugs. All parts of a container must be checked before adding it to recycling as the tops and bottoms of some containers are recyclable, but some are not. If there is no number on an item, put it in the trash.
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests Recyclelady7@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.