The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently announced a proposed agreement to resolve claims that Styropek USA has been illegally discharging large quantities of plastic pellets known as “nurdles” into a creek in western Pennsylvania.
The consent decree, which resolves a citizen suit originally filed by two Pennsylvania-based environmental groups under the federal Clean Water Act, mandated the redesign of the wastewater system to remove the plastic pellets.
Environmentalists said the consent decree would set a precedent for plastics manufacturers amid growing evidence that nurdles, which are used to make a variety of plastic products, pose a threat to human health and natural systems.
Shareholder Steve Miano told Inside Climate News that the consent decree is “very comprehensive” and said it “could very well” be used as a template for similar cases.
“The [consent decree] seems to require alternative plans if the initial technology is not effective,” Steve said, adding that it could result in new wastewater technologies.
