This isn't snow. It's actually a small fraction of hundreds of millions of tiny plastic pellets that have washed up on the shores of Hong Kong. The plastic pellets, called nurdles, were in six containers that were washed off a cargo ship during Typhoon Vicente. Nurdles, or mermaid tears are easy to transport, pre-production plastic pellets which plastic manufacturers will use to make any number of plastic items such as plastic bags. Although Sinopec, the maker of the nurdles, said the nurdles are not believed to be toxic; “Some of the pellets have already been found in the guts of fish farmed in Hong Kong, sparking concerns about the safety of consuming locally-produced seafood.” Over time, they can absorb toxins and pollutants that could poison the food chain if eaten.

The pellets are potentially toxic, and environmentalists are saying the cleanup could take months. The damage could last years.

[Gary Stokes, Sea Shepherd Conservation Rep.]:
"So as we can see this is the container behind us and it's really starting to break up, it's scattered the entire contents on the bottom beneath us."

Now the shores are drenched in almost 150 tons of mermaid tears.

Because of their size, shape, and color, tan nurdles closely resemble many plankton. “Such ‘nurdle plankton’ has been found embedded in the tissues of the animals that consume them. Oval shaped nurdles are also highly dangerous offenders as they are very similar to fish eggs. These ‘nurdle eggs’ have been found to have been consumed by over 70 different species of seabirds.”

[Gary Stokes, Sea Shepherd Conservation Rep.]:
"We spoke with leading scientist, Captain Charles Moore, he commented on this and said it was actually the worst plastics spill he's ever seen documented. So it's something that's completely unprecedented. People don't have action plans on how to clear it all up and that's what we're just working with the government to try and do."