Rhode Island Marinas Recycle 20 Tons of Shrink Wrap

In a pilot project for the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association and Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp., 15 Ocean State marinas recycled 40,000 pounds of marine shrink wrap this year.

Plastic shrink wrap is used by owners to protect boats during winter storage. Last year, about a million pounds of shrink wrap were sold in Rhode Island.

“The problem comes when shrink wrap is disposed of,” says Gerry DiSchino of the Hinckley Co., RIMTA’s vice president.  “It’s bulky, it doesn’t pack well, it takes up a lot of room in the Central Landfill, and it doesn’t decompose.  If it can be recycled, it has value.  But until this year marinas have had few recycling options.”

Working with the Institution Recycling Network, a cooperative that recycles many different materials throughout New England, and with pilot funding provided by RIRRC, RIMTA and RIRRC set up a demonstration project to show that recycling can be easy, efficient, and cost-effective. 

Early this spring, large, clear plastic recycling bags were distributed to 15 marinas throughout the state. The bags were big enough to hold the wrap from one or two boats.

As the marinas unwrapped boats in during the spring, the used shrink wrap was placed in the bags, cutting out any non-plastic items like vents and zippers that would contaminate the plastic when it was recycled.  The shrink wrap was collected, packed into bales and sold to a manufacturer.

Trex Company, which took in the shrink wrap, used the material, along with reclaimed wood, to make plastic lumber, which was sued for both composite decking and dock surfaces.