听SWACO has partnered this spring with the Ohio Clean Marinas program to expand the Ohio Shrink Wrap Recycling Program to Franklin County. The program is a partnership between Ohio Sea Grant and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), and works to recycle the plastic wrap that boat owners use to winterize their boats. SWACO is piloting the program at local Sizzle Marine鈥攚hich currently stores nearly 250 boats in the off-season鈥攚ith the goal of expanding the program to all Franklin County residents and marinas in 2026.听
Boat shrink wrap is plastic wrapped around a boat as a winterization method to protect the boat against water, dirt or other debris during off-season storage. It is one of the physically largest examples of single-use plastic, with an average of 25 pounds per boat鈥攖he equivalent of more than 2,000 plastic bags. If not disposed of properly, the plastic can break down and end up in rivers and lakes and consumed by marine life.听
鈥淲e know that Franklin County is home to the highest number of registered boaters in the entire state,鈥� said Joe Lombardi, SWACO鈥檚 Executive Director. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e glad to be able to step up and help expand this effort to recycle boat wrap in order to preserve resources, protect our waterways, and keep plastic out of the Franklin County landfill.鈥�听
More than 125 marinas and greenhouses have participated in ODNR鈥檚 boat wrap recycling program across the state in recent years, but the program still faces significant challenges, particularly in the form of contamination at boat wrap collection points. Nylon straps, necessary to secure the shrink wrap during the off season, must be completely removed by boaters for the material to be recyclable, and boat wrap with felt backing isn鈥檛 recyclable at all. Despite these challenges, the Ohio Shrink Wrap Recycling Program diverted more than 65,000 pounds of marine shrink wrap away from landfills in 2024.听
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to see the Ohio Boat Shrink Wrap Program expanding into central Ohio,鈥� said Tracey Coe, Ohio Clean Marinas Coordinator for the Ohio River Basin. 鈥淭his initiative has already made a significant impact along Lake Erie and across the state, and we look forward to continuing our efforts with SWACO to help boaters reduce plastic waste and protect Ohio鈥檚 waterways.鈥�听
SWACO will monitor the success of this program as Sizzle Marine begins to de-winterize the stored boats to learn how to best support a larger boat wrap recycling program open to the public in central Ohio in the years to come.听