County Offers Wrap Recycling Program To Boat Owners

Morris County’s annual boat shrink-wrap program is being conducted once again to give boaters and marina owners a program that allows them to protect the environment while caring for their vessels.

The eighth annual joint Morris County MUA and Park Commission shrink wrap recycling program will be held at Lee’s Marina County Park in Mount Arlington, on Lake Hopatcong until June 13.

The Park Commission will have a specially marked roll-off collection container for boat shrink-wrap at Lee’s Marina, located at 443 Howard Boulevard, Mount Arlington.

Plastic shrink-wrap is a popular and cost-effective material used by marinas and boat owners to protect boats and other marine vessels from harsh winter weather conditions, sunshine and other harmful elements.

However, the material does not degrade and usually winds up in landfills where it may take up space for years, said Liz Sweedy, senior recycling specialist with the MUA.

“Dumping the shrink-wrap in a landfill simply adds to our trash problem,” Sweedy said. “Recycling keeps the material out of landfills and is a much better option. We’ve found boaters and marina owners want to help protect the environment and have welcomed this program.”

Since this Morris County program began in 2008, more than 103 tons of boat shrink-wrap has been collected and kept out of landfills.

To prepare the shrink-wrap, all doors, vents, rope, ribbon strapping, labels and any other non-shrink-wrap materials should be removed. When dry, the shrink-wrap should be rolled up on a clean surface and tied into a bundle using a strip cut from the end of the wrap as a tie.

The shrink-wrap may be placed into the recycling container between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day of the collection program. Owners of boats or watercraft that are stored or docked elsewhere also can take their shrink-wrap to Lee’s Marina County Park for recycling.

More information about the program may be obtained by calling the MCMUA at
973-285-8394 or visit https://www.mcmua.com/sw_recy_boatshrinkwraprecycling.asp.