Some offer boaters more recycling, a few none
Many marinas go above and beyond what is mandated by the EPA and state agencies to be “green,’’ including recycling and energy-efficient practices.
Wentworth by the Sea Marina, in New Castle, N.H., for example, is putting up a wind helix vane to meet a portion of the marina’s electricity needs, and the Lynn-owned Seaport Landing Marina has plans for solar panels for the fuel dock.
Manchester Marine, Merri-Mar Yacht Basin in Newburyport, and Brown’s Yacht Yard in Gloucester, burn the waste oil they collect in an EPA-approved furnace to heat buildings in the winter.
Jay Lesynski of Merri-Mar has been using a waste oil burner for 22 years. He says it is the difference between keeping the marina’s staff on for the winter or closing.
Recycling shrink wrap is another way more marinas are going green. This bulky material can take up valuable space in a marina’s dumpster, and ultimately in landfills.
In 2004, Waste Cap of Massachusetts launched a shrink wrap recycling program free to marinas. According to the program’s website, about 37 tons of shrink wrap was recycled that year.
The following year E.L. Harvey & Sons Inc. took over the management of the program. The firm now charges from $300 to $375 for the dumpster, delivery, and pickup. Despite the cost, a number of marinas take advantage of the service.
There are other programs available, too, including one that sends a prepaid envelope and a bag to return the shrink wrap after it is used.
The recycling may be labor-intensive - all non-plastic material must be removed - but it can be less expensive than filling up trash dumpsters, noted Russ Vickers, owner of Hawthorne Cove in Salem.
But some marinas offer no program, including Rose’s Marine in Gloucester and Seaport Landing Marina and Pickering Wharf Marina, both in Salem.
Marinas vary, too, in the other materials they recycle. Those range from oil to batteries to antifreeze to the usual cans, bottles, and cardboard to virtually nothing. All those that offer recycling to customers pay fees - either for containers, pickup, or both.
Manchester Marine workers collect everything that has a deposit, use that money for an employee fund, and recycle all else through a waste management company. Metals such as copper and stainless steel are sold on the open market.
Merri-Mar has recycled for years, Lesynski said, and when it started offering bins for customers to recycle, he felt they appreciated the efforts. “I can’t help but believe the dumpster is less full because of the program.’’
