Boat Wrap Recycling

Beautiful Antrim County is blessed with an abundance of inland lakes and rivers, plus access to the great Lake Michigan. For many residents, de-winterizing the family boat is a sure sign that summer is on its way.

However, have you ever wondered what happens to all of the plastic shrink wrap removed from boats each spring? Unfortunately, these polyethylene films are not biodegradable and are usually thrown into dumpsters, contributing massive amounts of waste to landfills. Landfillling reusable materials is costly: it takes up space that could be saved for other purposes, and it means that more resources must be extracted to create new materials.

The good news is that boat owners have an option to keep these materials in use and out of the ground! The Antrim Conservation District office is proud to be a drop-off location for The Recycling Run, Michigan's official statewide boat wrap recycling program.

How to Participate

WHO:

• We encourage all boat owners to recycle their plastic boat wrap, and we encourage all marinas to offer this service option to their customers.

WHAT:

• Boat wrap must be adequately prepared and packed in an "EZ-Fill Recycling Run Bag." Bags are available to purchase at the ACD office. A single bag can hold one large boat cover (~32') or up to three smaller covers- so you and your neighbors can share!
• Before bagging the shrink wrap, please ensure that the material is clean and dry, and that all hardware parts (straps, buckles, vents, zippers) are removed and disposed of separately. More preparation instructions are available here.
• Note: we cannot accept boat wrap that is not prepared in the official bagging. The cost of a bag covers the costs of pick-up, hauling, and processing.

WHERE:

• Bagged boat wrap can be brought to any official drop-off location, including the ACD office. Additional drop-off locations are shown on the map (displayed on the right for desktop viewers, and below in mobile view), also available through this link.

WHEN:

• Drop-off sites can accept boat wrap from April 1 to June 1. Please refer to each location's operating hours. The ACD welcomes your drop-offs Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.​