(Correction: This story was updated to correct the spelling of McKenzie Going’s name. )
What started as a class project for the Destin Chamber of Commerce’s Destin Forward group in 2014 has grown to benefit the waterways around Destin and across the bay in Niceville, on Okaloosa Island and Walton County.
In 2014, a Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance Monofilament Recycling Program was born.
Today there are five recycling bins on Destin harbor ― one at HarborWalk Marina, one along the docks at HarborWalk, one near AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar, one near Luther’s Pontoons and another on the docks at Fishing Fleet Marina. There is also a recycling bin at Joe’s Bayou Boat Ramp for six in the Destin area.
Why have the recycling bins?
“To keep the fishing line out of the environment … so it doesn’t entangle wildlife, which can lead to death,” said Alison McDowell, executive director of the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance.
Sea turtles and birds are often found wrapped up in fishing lines, tossed into the water.
“Turtles can’t see it, so they just swim into it,” McDowell said, and then get entangled.
What is monofilament?
It’s a fishing line made from a single fiber or plastic material.
“Fishing line can exist up to 600 years in the environment before it breaks down,” McDowell said, noting another reason to recycle it and not toss in the water.
How often are the bins checked?
The bins are checked twice a month during the fishing season, and once a month when the fishing season starts to die down, said McKenzie Going, ecology technician with CBA who oversees the recycling bins.
What happens to the fishing line collected?
The line is collected and sent to Berkley Fishing in Iowa, where it is recycled and made into tackleboxes and other products, Going said.
“They are a good thing to have down here,” Going said. She explained that fishermen like to respool their reels, and the bins are handy to toss it away for recycling.
How much fishing line has been collected?
“Last year we recycled 12 miles of fishing line,” McDowell said.
And the bins are strictly for fishing line, not hooks or trash.
Where are the recycling bins?
According to the CBA website, in addition to the ones in Destin, there bins at Bluewater Bay Marina Complex in Niceville, Veterans and Ross Marler Park on Okaloosa Island, Nick’s Seafood Restaurant in Freeport, as well as Cessna and Thomas Pilcher Parks in Walton County.
“This is just another way to get the community involved,” McDowell said in caring for the local waterways.
(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: Destin monofilament recycling program has grown to 6 sites, helping to keep waterways clean
Reporting by Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log / The Destin Log
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