The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Clean Marina Initiative and the Marine Trades Association of Maryland program to recycle boat shrinkwrap plastic will expand this year to Queen Anne’s county residents who keep boats in their yards. Previously, shrinkwrap recycling efforts were only targeted to boatyards and marinas, which continue to participate in the program.
Residents of Queen Anne’s County can obtain a free required recycling bag–courtesy of the Queen Anne’s County Commission–while supplies last from April 1 until May 31 at the following locations:
- West Marine store in Chester;
- Rommel’s Ace Hardware in Stevensville;
- Refill Goodness in Stevensville; and
- Centreville Town Hall.
Boaters will receive detailed instructions on how to prepare the wrap properly, and where to take their bundle for recycling. Key to the success of the project is boaters removing all straps, bands, zippers, doors, and vents from the shrinkwrap, as even one of these will contaminate the whole load. Shrinkwrap is not accepted in curbside recycling and must be taken to special dumpsters provided just for those with the special recycling bags.
In 2023 the program collected and recycled 65,000 pounds of used shrinkwrap. The Clean Marina Program reminds boaters to “Think Before You Shrink,” and consider a reusable cover instead of shrinkwrap next fall. Reusable covers last for many years and, in most cases, compare to the cost of having the boat professionally shrink wrapped two or three times. Using these covers prevents tons of single-use plastic waste.