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Plastic Pellet Cleanup Snarls Interstate Traffic

POCONO TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Tiny plastic pellets have been causing quite a commotion in the Poconos for days now. The cleanup of the plastic piled up in the Po...

POCONO TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Tiny plastic pellets have been causing quite a commotion in the Poconos for days now.

The cleanup of the plastic piled up in the Poconos has started. Crews were out today along Interstate 80 cleaning up the spill from an accident that took place over the weekend.

When drivers get onto Interstate 80 east from Interstate 380 south, they are used to facing some congestion as four lanes merge into two, but right now because of the cleanup it's four lanes merging into one, creating quite a backup.

Last week, a tractor-trailer went over the guardrail and down an embankment, spilling about 43,000 pounds of little plastic pellets into Sand Spring Run in Pocono Township.

plastic

Sand Spring Run feeds into a network of creeks that lead into the Delaware River and there are concerns for the wildlife in the water system.

Crews climbed down the embankment and used leaf blowers, shovels, tarps, and a crane to retrieve the medallions at the site of the accident.

Plastic pellets weren't the only things piled up along I-80; traffic was piled up, too, creating stop-and-go traffic.

Folks at a rest area just after the traffic jam were surprised to find out the back up was because of little plastic pellets.

"It's interesting, tiny little things making up a very large situation," one driver laughed.

There is no word yet on when the cleanup effort will end along I-80 and throughout the creek network leading into the Delaware River

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission say the driver will be fined for pollution and these cleanup costs will be charged to the trucking company.

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