Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling

Unwrapping Boater Recycling Program: Hempstead Town
Commences Boat "Shrink Wrap" Recycling

As the spring season starts, many Long Island boaters and marina staff will begin readying vessels for the warmer weather by shedding the plastic shrink wrap that is used to protect boats throughout the winter. Offering residents an environmentally friendly way to dispose of this non-reusable material, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray and SPLASH, a group dedicated to keeping waterways clean, have announced a recycling program for the shrink wrap that covers many recreational boats during the off season. Joining Murray and SPLASH President Rob Weltner at a shrink wrap recycling press conference were Long Island Marine Trades Council President Chris Squeri, Dante Grover from Al Grover's High And Dry Marina, and other town officials.

"Shrink wrap protects boats from the effects of harsh winter weather, but it presents a waste disposal problem, clogging landfills with non-biodegradable material," Supervisor Murray said. "Hempstead Town's recycling program will allow boat owners to protect their vessels from snow, ice, water and debris while also protecting the environment."

"SPLASH has been removing non-biodegradable shrink wrap from local waterways for years," said Weltner. "We brought the problem to the attention of the town and Kate Murray and Councilwoman Angie Cullin got on board with a commitment to recycle the material immediately."

The average boat can use as much as 14 pounds of shrink wrap. With over 15,000 boaters in the Town of Hempstead, the recycling program is expected to collect hundreds of tons of plastic that would otherwise be discarded and enter into the waste stream. According to Weltner, Hempstead Town is the first municipality on Long Island to offer shrink wrap recycling.

The Sanitation Department's facility in Merrick, located at 1600 Merrick Road, will host a container to collect the shrink wrap. Commercial marinas and residential boat owners may deposit the plastic material between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Shrink wrap deposited for recycling must be clean, with all lumber, rope, nails and garbage removed from the plastic.

Omni Recycling of Westbury will collect and recycle the shrink wrap at no cost to the township. This season alone, the recycling effort should keep up to 7 tons of shrink wrap out of the waste stream. In years to come as more and more boaters participate in the recycling effort, the total of collected shrink wrap should rise significantly.

"Recycling keeps the non-biodegradable material out of landfills and eliminates the chance that plastic material will find its way into waterways," Councilwoman Angie Cullin said.

Boat shrink-wrap is made of polyethylene, which can be recycled and used in the manufacture of new products such as plastic bags, guard rail blocks, wheel chalks, lawn edging, plastic banners, and plastic lumber.

The shrink wrap recycling initiative compliments the township's many rigorous recycling efforts, including programs for recycling mercury, household pollutants and electronic materials, as well as successful school-based and residential recycling programs.

"Boaters can now ready their vessels for fun on the waterways without worrying about adding to the waste stream," Murray concluded. "I encourage all marina operators and recreational boat owners to help make this spring season even greener by recycling plastic shrink wrap and rescuing our landfills from tons of added plastic trash. I want to thank SPLASH and Rob Weltner for bringing this issue to light and for partnering with us to address it."