Shrink wrap is commonly used for protecting recreational boats from snow, ice, water, and debris when they’re stored outside during the winter season. The plastic encloses the boat by shrinking when heated, providing a protective covering strong enough to hold the weight of snow and ice. In the spring, hundreds of thousands of pounds of shrink wrap are removed from boats in Ohio. Historically, much of this material ended up in landfills.

In the spring of 2006, the Ohio Clean Marinas Program, together with Mondo Polymer Technologies, Inc. of Reno, Ohio, began a shrink wrap recycling program. This program offers marina owners and boaters a cost effective, eco-friendly alternative to disposing of shrink-wrap.

While details have changed over the years, the aim to keep shrink wrap out of landfills continues to remain at the heart of the program. Marinas and boaters interested in shrink wrap recycling can contact the Ohio Clean Marinas staff for help finding a recycler, or use the list of recyclers below.

Program Impacts

In 2011, the Ohio Shrink-Wrap Recycling Program kept 155,000 lbs. of boat shrink wrap collected from over 100 marinas out of landfills. Since 2006, more than 2 million pounds of shrink wrap have been recycled in Ohio, producing more than 30,000 guardrail blocks that make over 300 miles of Ohio’s roadways safer.