In a memorable scene from The Graduate, Ben Murphy, played by Dustin Hoffman, receives this sage advice from Mr. Maguire:
"Plastic."
It's 2010 and Mr. Maguire's plastic future is here.
Every fall thousands of boats are sealed with plastic shrink wrap to protect them against the ravages of our North Coast winter. Every spring, thousands of boats must lose this layer of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Until five years ago marine shrink wrap landed in landfills. That changed in 2005 when Ohio manufacturer, Mondo Polymer Technologies, linked up with the Ohio Clean Marinas Program and its participating partners, the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association and Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Together, they launched The Boat Shrink-Wrap Recycling Program. About 100 marinas and boatyards were furnished with designated refuse containers. Collection points, a facility for baling and plant transfer, and a bi-weekly pick up schedule running from mid-April through mid-June were established.
Since then, about 100 tons of boat shrink wrap have been diverted from landfills and made into useful products. Mondo has recycled over one million pounds of boat shrink wrap into highway guardrail blocks, helping to make our highways safer and our environment cleaner!
There's even more good news from Mondo's Recycling chief, Ron Wesel, who says the company is expanding this effort to neighboring states. Collection sites have been established or are planned for Michigan, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.
Have shrink wrap on your property and need to dispose of it? Go to the Ohio Clean Marinas website for locations. If you are going to be dropping off the boat shrink wrap yourself, be sure to remove all fasteners and rope.
Happy Earth Day!
Have you heard about "plastic trails" and "plastic islands" in the oceans? Click below to learn about this phenomenon:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/blue-august/bags-butts-bottles-beaches.html
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