Each winter, Ohio boaters cover their vessels in shrink wrap to protect against harsh weather. But what happens to all that plastic wrap when spring rolls around?

Normally, discarded shrink wrap ends up in landfills, taking thousands of years to break down and creating problems for wildlife and human health. But thanks to the efforts of the Ohio Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling Program, more and more of that bulky plastic waste is being recycled.

The problem is massive: the amount of plastic in polyethylene shrink wrap from one 25-foot boat is equal to that of 2,062 plastic shopping bags, and Ohio has more than 600,000 registered boats. That’s a lot of plastic.

“We’re seeing over time how marinas that historically had issues with contamination learned from our education efforts and now are like ‘okay, I got this.’ It’s taken time, but it’s happening.”
Sarah Orlando

Since 2006, the Ohio Clean Marinas Program has helped tackle the issue in collaboration with Ohio Sea Grant, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Parks and Watercraft, the ODNR Office of Coastal Management, the Ohio Marine Trades Association, and local partners. In just the past year, the program has taken big steps to divert plastic waste and raise awareness among boaters, in part thanks to a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA).

“Our role in this project is to convey that even though it’s not always cheap to do the right thing, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it,” said Sarah Orlando, Ohio Clean Marinas program manager. “We’re trying to make it a little easier for boaters, taking out some of the complicated work of ‘How do I contain this shrink wrap? Where do I put it on my site?’ By streamlining the process using a simple model, we’ll hopefully get more involvement.”

The OEPA grant provided $75,000 to Firelands Local LLC, a key partner in the recycling program. The nonprofit business, which employs adults with developmental disabilities, processes and bales the shrink wrap. It’s an essential step, as recycling necessitates that the plastic is free of dirt and debris.

“They’re incredibly important because they make the shrink wrap valuable to the recycler and enable it to be recycled,” Orlando said of Firelands Local.

The grant also supported the purchase of 63 wire bins that were placed strategically at marinas near Lake Erie as public drop-off points for shrink wrap. The highly visible bins also feature signage about how to properly recycle boat shrink wrap, raising awareness about the issue.

“It seems to be a good model that’s working really well,” Orlando said. “Firelands Local drops off those wire bins at a marina or facility that’s interested in being a location for shrink wrap recycling. When that collection bin is full, they’ll call Firelands Local for a pickup and it’ll get recycled.”

By expanding recycling efforts statewide, the program diverted over 83,000 pounds of plastic from landfills in 2024, said Amy Torrey-Rinehart, Ohio Clean Marinas Program administrative assistant. So far, the effort includes 32 Ohio partnering marinas alongside local businesses and organizations.

Outreach is another important aspect of the Shrink Wrap Recycling Program’s efforts. Thanks to a grant from the Ottawa Sandusky Seneca Solid Waste District, the team was able to get a billboard about shrink wrap recycling up on State Route 2 in Ottawa County.

“It was pretty exciting and increased public awareness,” Orlando said of the billboard. “Its sole purpose was to show that you can recycle your shrink wrap in Ohio, also getting across the point that if you don’t remove the nylon strapping, we can’t recycle the material.”

Moving forward, Orlando hopes to expand the program past “early adopters” who are interested in recycling, engaging partners who may consider the process too difficult. She hopes that by streamlining the process using wire bins, adoption and engagement will increase.

“We’re seeing over time how marinas that historically had issues with contamination learned from our education efforts and now are like ‘okay, I got this,’” Orlando said. “It’s taken time, but it’s happening. And that’s helpful because then those people will go educate their neighbors and colleagues.”

For more information about the Ohio Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling Program, contact Orlando at orlando.42@osu.edu.

Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nation-wide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. Stone Laboratory is Ohio State’s island campus on Lake Erie and is the research, education, and outreach facility of Ohio Sea Grant and part of CFAES School of Environment and Natural Resources.