12:00 pm, Wed July 10, 2024 – So far in 2024, nearly 50,000 pounds of boat shrink wrap has been collected through the Ohio Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling Program

COLUMBUS, OHIO The Ohio Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling Program is continuing its mission of collecting plastic before it reaches a landfill by helping secure two new grants for its partners. So far in 2024, nearly 50,000 pounds of boat shrink wrap has been collected. That’s in addition to the more than 2.3 million pounds recovered since the program started in 2006, a collaboration created by the Ohio Clean Marinas Program. Shrink wrapping boats is a way to protect them during the wintertime and wrapping a 25-foot boat is equivalent to 2,062 plastic shopping bags.

“The Ohio Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling Program is key to protecting our environment,” said ODNR Division of Parks & Watercraft Chief Glenn Cobb. “Grants from the Ottawa Sandusky Seneca Solid Waste Management District and the Ohio EPA help this program grow and improve. These funds boost our program partners’ recycling efforts, encourage boaters to recycle, and help preserve our waterways and natural resources for the future.”

A grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to CLI, Inc., provides nearly $75,000 for equipment to boost the organization’s efficiency and capacity for shrink wrap recycling. Firelands Local LLC – the business service division of CLI, Inc. – has collected 30,000 pounds of shrink wrap this year and will use the funds to purchase a new box truck for recycling pick-up efforts at marinas throughout Northern Ohio. The grant will also support the purchase of wire bins and shipping containers to be placed strategically at marinas near Lake Erie as public drop-off points.
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“We have dispensed 15% of the wire bins, and they have been very well received,” said James Johnson, the head of the program with Firelands Local LLC. “Once we get the box truck, it will allow us to deliver the bins in a more timely and economical way. The smaller truck will also enable us to access smaller marinas that do not have room for the old truck to maneuver.”