Recycling Shrink Wrap

I live in Nova Scotia in eastern Canada and as far as I know all our shrink wrap goes to the local land fill. It takes a 40'x60' sheet of plastic to cover my boat. I don't know what the equivalent number of water bottles is for that much plastic but it has to be a lot. Does anybody know of any place in Canada or the US that recycles this plastic in some environmentally responsible way? What do they do in your area?

I'm feeling pretty guilty about this. I might have to start covering my boat with burlap! It won't keep the rain out but I'll sleep better.

Thanks, Jeff

Check with shrink wrap companies...they may know...

But all the marinas around me in NJ recycle it someplace as it is bundled and picked up separately than trash.

Mr. psneeld,

Thanks for your reply. It is such a coincidence that you replied to my post. I also have an Albin40 (1982) and it's called AVALON, same as your home town. My boat is named after the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland (my old stomping ground) where I lived for 37 yrs before I moved to Nova Scotia.

With regard to the shrink wrap, I have been told that the plastic was sent to China but they no longer accept it. Like yours, ours is still collected separately but that's only because they don't want to over fill the dumpsters, but it still goes to the landfill.

We'll have to chat offline some time. I would love to compare notes on our boats. If you want, message me directly and I'll send you my email address.

Cheers, Jeff

psneeld said:

Check with shrink wrap companies...they may know...

But all the marinas around me in NJ recycle it someplace as it is bundled and picked up separately than trash.

Click to expand...

Same here in western NY

Also recycled in Connecticut, but I don't know details about where it goes.

We are diehard recyclers. Plastics in general are a nightmare with regard to longevity in the environment. Some forms are recycled, other not at all. Why ?? Recyclable water and gatorade bottles are most often tossed as trash. Styrofoam in most forms is rejected from recycling programs. That and the extensive list of material rejected from programs and the low level of participation and high level of laziness/"I will not pay to recycle" astounds me. We need to throw a deposit on all materials to get more cooperation from the ignorant, and demand recyclable products and packaging from manufacturers.

The saving grace may be that for many decades, we are accumulating a great source for future generations to develop the capability to effectively mine our landfills. What a great concentration of base elements, compounds and building materials! --Still, what a shame.

Knot Salted said:

We are diehard recyclers. Plastics in general are a nightmare with regard to longevity in the environment. Some forms are recycled, other not at all. Why ?? Recyclable water and gatorade bottles are most often tossed as trash. Styrofoam in most forms is rejected from recycling programs. That and the extensive list of material rejected from programs and the low level of participation and high level of laziness/"I will not pay to recycle" astounds me. We need to throw a deposit on all materials to get more cooperation from the ignorant, and demand recyclable products and packaging from manufacturers.

The saving grace may be that for many decades, we are accumulating a great source for future generations to develop the capability to effectively mine our landfills. What a great concentration of base elements, compounds and building materials! --Still, what a shame.

Click to expand...

That may be the case where you live.
In our area they started w a no sort program and participation is and has been good from the start.
Initially reports were glowing... lately not so much.
We have had reports of no or lo demand causing recycleable collection to turn around and landfill their collections.
We have been told no longer a market for recycled paper.

I'm happy to comply w curbside pick ups but resent the imposition of deposits which only end up with the uncollected deposits being claimed by the govt and a smaller share left for the companies involved.
Maybe a surcharge on unnecessary packaging would reduce what companies choose to enclose their products in from the start.
I have filed complaints w NY DEC re retailers that sell deposit beverages but refuse to accept the empties back. I was told by them to find someplace else to take them... they weren't set up to handle them. This isn't a mom & pop it's a big box store and they are still doing the same thing. Apparently the requirement to take back deposit containers you have sold is not a strong enough one to enforce. Who gets stuck... the consumer... and the govt and co share the profits.
IMHO..,, Ban all deposits and encourage recycling of those materials that make sense and there is a demand.
Provide incentives for recycled materials if necessary and use the fees collected from "excess" double & triple packaging to fund the incentives.
We also need to prioritize... straws are not what is filling up our landfills and if you think they are why not require restaurants to collect and recycle them?

Greetings,
This ties in perfectly with this thread: http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s51/crying-shame-41339.html

Not recycled in my marina what is causing concerns to me when I see something like 25 boats of 30+ feet stored outside and wrapped and especially that it is very thick plastic film. When I unwrap I keep a good length of wrap for myself that I use as tarp when painting etc, at least it gives it a second life but not recycled.

L

Greetings,
Just remembered, I know of one guy who got 3 years out of his shrink wrap. He was super careful in removing and he did some minimal patching when he re-installed.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Just remembered, I know of one guy who got 3 years out of his shrink wrap. He was super careful in removing and he did some minimal patching when he re-installed.

Click to expand...

A group of us wrapped our own for many yrs and always got 2 yrs sometimes 3. The key was not to shrink it super tight and use a longer rope in the bottom hem (w mark for where the removable knot was) so you could loosen the bottom w/o losing the ends. The other reqmt is that you have a frame that gets reused and placed in the same locations so the fit is good.
It is doable w planning and care and really helps on cost.

Interesting read...


https://www.exponentialinvestor.com/technology/the-big-fat-recycling-lie/