Kawartha Lakes Launches Boat Shrink Wrap Recycling Project
by Jennifer Dennard
The
City of Kawartha Lakes — home to
many lakes and rivers, as well as the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario, Canada — will offer local
boaters a chance to recycle boat shrink wrap at no charge through a pilot project that will run
from April 28 to June 7, 2008.
“[I]t’s my opinion that this material has such a short in-use life that it should be
considered a pristine recyclable resource,” says Andrew Boyd, manager of the city’s Solid Waste
Division, which sponsors the project. “Our goal is diversion and if we can turn any product into a
reusable resource, we are happy for the opportunity.”
Boaters may bring used, clean boat shrink wrap of any color to the city’s Lindsay/Ops site
for recycling. If a large enough amount of material is collected, the city will deliver it to
shrink-wrap manufacturers for recycling. Smaller quantities or those covered with dirt will be
recycled into floor tiles, backyard composters and curbside trash cans.
“I’m certain that this will be a successful pilot and will lead to a more substantial project
in the future,” Boyd says. “I believe that the marine industry as a whole is becoming much more
environmentally aware and this is a program that they can take advantage of at no cost to them. And
it is the right thing to do.”
For more information about the project, visit
www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca/CityHall/News/PressRelease/2008/2008-04-08_Boat_Shrink_Wrap_Pilot_Project.html.