April 1, 2008
Vol. 38, No. 123

For more information, contact Bill Miller, Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Branch, 302-739-9403, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902. 

DNREC, DOC Partner to Offer Marinas, Boat Storage Facilities

Free Pickup and Recycling of Boat Shrink Wrap  

            The DNREC Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch, in partnership with the Delaware Department of Correction (DOC), has started a program to recycle marine shrink wrap collected from marinas and other boat storage facilities. 

            “Shrink wrap is used to cover thousands of boats in Delaware each year for winterization. Come boating season, all that plastic is removed and trucked to landfills. This new program sends shrink wrap to recyclers instead, keeping it out of the landfill, reducing oil consumption, conserving resources and saving disposal costs for those who choose to participate,” said Program Coordinator Bill Miller. The shrink wrap can be recycled into a variety of products, such as trash bags, composite lumber and guard rail bumpers, Miller added.

            Marinas and boat storage facilities can sign up to participate in this free program by contacting Miller to work out a pickup schedule. A DOC crew will pick up the shrink wrap, remove strapping, vents and other materials, and bale it. The program, which is not designed to turn a profit, is funded by the sale of the baled material to recyclers.

            “There’s no cost to the businesses – we just ask that they keep the material as clean and dry as possible for pickup,” Miller said, adding, “We’d like to see more businesses sign up, especially in Sussex County. Not only will that reduce our waste stream, it will also keep the program self-sustaining.” 

            DOC is also hoping to see the program grow. “We’re very pleased to partner with DNREC on this project, and we’d like to get the word out to draw more participants,” said Bill Oettel, Warden of the Sussex Community Corrections Center. This recycling program is one of many community service projects in which offenders from the Sussex Violation of Probation Center in Georgetown provide their labor, Oettel added.

For more information, or to sign up for the boat shrink wrap recycling program, please contact Bill Miller, Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Branch, at 302-739-9403.