In 2018, Teesport has become the first U.K. port to actively minimize the risk of plastic pellets leaking into the environment. Its operator, PD Ports, is part of the Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS) initiative, run in the U.K. by the British Plastics Federation. It introduces measures to keep plastic “nurdles” safely away from rivers and seas. 

OCS is already implemented across the U.K. in over 250 sites, which up until now have largely been plastics manufacturing plants. However, Teesport’s participation represented an important shift, incorporating other companies who handle these materials along the supply chain—ensuring plastics are handled responsibly during transportation.