Used boat shrinkwrap may soon become boat fuel, thanks to a pilot program by Brightmark. In July, the global waste solutions provider announced it completed a pilot collection program for boat wraps with a local marine services dealer located near the company’s Ashley, Indiana facility. The project collected shrinkwrap from boats in winter storage, and now that collected wrap will be used to produce transportation fuel and wax.
The amount of boat wrap removed each year in the U.S. adds up to approximately 110,000 tons of waste, which, when recycled, would equal nearly 21,000 barrels of renewable fuel.
“Boat wrap is a pure waste stream that has always been difficult to properly recycle,” says Steve Christman, executive director of the Northeast Indiana Solid Waste District, which supports the program. “This program fits perfectly because it allows us to turn the waste into something of value to boaters.”
