OC MARINAS RECYCLE SHRINK WRAP
Program prevents used from crowding landfills
NANCY POWELL n Associate Editor
OCEAN CITY TODAY/NANCY POWELL Boats covered with shrink wrap wait to be freed from their plastic cocoons at Advanced Marina in Ocean City. (April 24, 2009) Warmer weather means it's time to go boating. It also means the plastic wrapping that kept thousands of boats sheltered from the wind and rain this winter will be removed and — in most cases — sent to area landfills.
Mondo Polymer, an Ohio-based company, is working to divert thousands of pounds of the used plastic from Maryland landfills. At no cost to local marinas, company representatives will collect discarded shrink wrap — a blanket of plastic that encloses the vessel by shrinking when heated, providing a protective covering — in the resort area, throughout Maryland and in other nearby states.
The program is supported by the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Marine Trades Association of Maryland.
"We certainly would like to recycle it," Monica Shoemaker, office manager at Harbor Marine, said of the discarded plastic wrapping that has been removed from at least 25 vessels stored this winter at the West Ocean City marina. Shoemaker said she registered for the program online and is simply waiting for Mondo Polymer to collect the used material.
Once collected, Mondo Polymer will use the shrink wrap to manufacture rigid plastic highway barriers. Last year, Mondo Polymer recycled more than 180,000 pounds of the used plastic from marinas statewide.
Maryland marinas have been recycling shrink wrap in some form or another for many years, said Donna Morrow, administrator of the Department of Natural Resources Boating Services. It's a challenge, however, because of the funding, space, holding sites and manpower required.
Locally, Advanced Marina on 66th Street in Ocean City has shown an interest in the program. James Cosby, an Advanced Marina employee, was using a razor to slice through the shrink wrap on boats last week. It doesn't take much time to make long cuts into the plastic and lift it off the boat. After he removes it, he takes it to a spot where it waits to be picked up for recycling.
"It needs to be recycled," he said.
Sunset Marina and Ocean City Fishing Center in West Ocean City also recycle used shrink wrap.
Dozens of marinas and boat yards have registered to participate in this year's recycling program, Morrow said.
A representative of Mondo Polymer said Monday that the company started collecting the shrink wrap from boats at Maryland marinas last week and started collecting it in Ocean City on Tuesday. The collection will continue until mid- June.
