May 2007
Marinas to Recycle Shrink-wrap in Southeast Michigan
Boating 101
First question: What’s bright blue and accumulates at marinas every spring? Answer: Shrink-wrap. The heat-treated plastic covering is commonly used to protect recreational boats stored outside during winter.
“Thousands of pounds of shrink-wrap are removed from boats every spring just prior to the boating season,” says Van Snider, president of Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA).
Second question: What happens to the shrink-wrap once it’s removed? According to Snider, most of it ends up in the dumpster and eventually in local landfills.
In Southeast Michigan, that’s about to change. The Michigan Clean Marina Program is implementing a pilot shrink-wrap recycling program to begin May 1. The initiative involves a partnership between the Clean Marina Program (CMP), which is supported by MBIA, Michigan Sea Grant, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and Mondo Polymer Technologies, Inc. of Reno, Ohio.
Approximately 50 marinas are involved in the pilot, test-market program. These facilities will collect and store the shrink-wrap in areas designated for pick-up.
Recycling Offers Promising Alternative
Shrink-wrap, a soft plastic, is applied to boats using heat. When the plastic shrinks, it forms a ridged protective covering strong enough to hold the weight of ice and snow.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, plastics made up approximately 12 percent of municipal solid waste (garbage) in 2005 before recycling.
Boat shrink-wrap is made of a low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which can be recycled and used in the manufacture of new products such as plastic barriers and guardrail blocks (used to hold the rail to the post).
Marinas in Southeast Michigan are expected to benefit from the pilot shrink-wrap recycling program by reducing their disposal costs. They also enhance their public image by protecting the environment.
“The Michigan Clean Marina Program continues to add value through not only designated marina facilities as clean marinas but consistently striving for ways to protect and enhance our environment,” says Michigan Sea Grant Extension Educator Chuck Pistis. “We look forward to a very successful recycling program that can expand statewide in the future.”
By Joyce Daniels
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