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Diane Wilson has fought for decades against Formosa Plastic Corp.’s pollution of the bays where her family has fished for generations.

A major citizen suit against a giant plastics company resulted in a huge payout and a commitment to do better. The case has set off ripples of change across an industry that often pollutes with impunity.

Embed MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Billions of tiny plastic pellets have been spilling into oceans and rivers the world over, where birds and fish eat them. They are the building blocks of all plastic. Melt 350 of them, you get a yogurt cup. A thousand gets you a water bottle. But an NPR and PBS "Frontline" investigation found the oil and plastic industry has long known they're an environmental problem. NPR's Laura Sullivan brings us this story about how the oil and plastic industry evaded regulation despite decades of spills.

Originally published on December 22, 2020 8:01 pm Look on the side of a highway sometime and you might see them. Or along the railroad tracks or a stream. Maybe even between your toes at the beach. Tiny pearl-shaped pieces of plastic, known as pellets, are the building blocks for almost everything plastic, and they're everywhere. They've spilled out of petrochemical plants, rail cars, shipping containers and trucks. Large spills have soiled beaches in Louisiana and South Carolina. New research suggests more than 230,000 tons of pellets enter the ocean each year, contaminating the water and s...

  Recycled plastic pellets are displayed at a facility in Ontario. // Bloomberg/Getty Images , James MacDonald Look on the side of a highway sometime and you might see them. Or along the railroad tracks or a stream. Maybe even between your toes at the beach. Tiny pearl-shaped pieces of plastic, known as pellets, are the building blocks for almost everything plastic, and they're everywhere. They've spilled out of petrochemical plants, rail cars, shipping containers and trucks. Large spills have soiled beaches in Louisiana and South Carolina. New research suggests more than 230,000 tons of pel...