Could this be used in shrink wrap for boats? I found this today im my local paper, I know this wrap they use has a HUGE market. Just food for thought, could have been brought up before but i have only been in this stock for a few months now and didnt notice it mentioned.
LOWER TOWNSHIP - Plastic shrink wrap has become a valuable material to protect boats during the winter, but it also becomes a problem for landfills in the spring.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has a way to change that.
The DEP has initiated a recycling problem to take the plastic wrapping out of the waste stream and turn it into plastic bags, lumber and other products.
"I collect it and throw it in the dumpster," said Ernie Utsch, who owns Utsch's Marine on Schellenger's Landing in Lower Township, Cape May County.
Utsch was interested in the new program, which is being funded by $100,000 in registration fees boaters pay each year, and has no problem collecting shrink wrap if somebody picks it up.
The DEP estimates that New Jersey boaters use hundreds of tons of the nonbiodegradable plastic each year. While there already is a program to recycle greenhouse plastic, until recently the boat plastic has been tossed into landfills.
The DEP has awarded funding to nine counties to collect, bale and recycle it. The counties include Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean.
Cape May County Recycling Coordinator Bridget M. O'Connor said for now marinas have to bring the material to the county landfill in Woodbine or the transfer station in Middle Township. Blue, white or clear plastic is accepted and containers are set up to collect it.
"I've had a good response from boatyard owners and marinas. We're just beginning to get the message out," O'Connor said.
The material will be cleaned and shredded. Then it will be turned into the plastic pellets used to make other plastic products.
O'Connor said an average size boat produces about 14 pounds of shrink wrap. She said the county is expected to generate about 15 tons of shrink wrap per year.
It's not a huge landfill item but is also another way to help marinas become eco-friendly. Utsch's is already recycling plastic monofilament fishing line and beverage containers. The county also has a program to accept marine paints, which contain more toxic materials that regular house paints.
The DEP said the nine counties have committed to collecting plastic shrink wrap for five years. Revenue from the plastic could end up keeping it going long after that.
AI
