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Recycling Boats

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Reading the NY Times article on Boats Too Costly To Keep it struck me how utterly selfish it is for these people to abandon their boats. There is other alternatives to getting rid of boats besides just abandoning them in waterways especially at taxpayer costs and endangering lives and ecosystems.

Taxpayer Cost of Removing Abandoned Boats

  • Folly Beach last month received $45,897 from the state Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. The city will put up $15,299 in matching funds, creating a pool of $61,196 to spend on hauling out decaying old vessels.
  • Typically Mission Bay sees 20-30 abandoned boats a year. “An older boat is expensive to get rid of, but cheap to abandon,” says Lerum. “One boat cost the Lifeguard Service close to $10,000 in disposal fees.”
  • FWC’s Boating and Waterways Section appealed to the Florida Legislature for help in removing derelict vessels. In the 2008-09 fiscal year, the legislature appropriated $1.55 million for removal of derelict vessels by the FWC, counties and municipalities. The cost can vary from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the size of the vessel, the equipment needed for removal, how difficult it is to remove, environmental clean-up, location of the vessel. Approximately 1500 derelict vessels.
  • Mount Pleasant-Shem Creek The town dished out $12,000 for the removal and another $40,000 came from a DHEC grant, which is funded by the state lawmakers
  • Washington There are currently close to 200 derelict and abandoned boats in waters around the state, and authorities expect to see more as the effects of the recession continue. The program’s budget is about $750,000 annually.

Where to Recycle

ReJuvenating Plastic- Reuse Plastic to Make Boats
Eco Friendly Sports- Electric Boats

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Thank you for addressing this issue. We offer this same service in Canada. We work with pleasure craft boats.

    We would love to discuss this issue further with you.

    Nancy Daniels
    Kawartha Marine Boat Wrecking and Recycling

  2. Hi Nancy,

    I sure would love to get you help. Do you have any resources for recycling fiberglass boats?

    I am hoping you can assist me by providing any resources interested in buying scrap fiberglass. Resources in Minnesota would be most helpful.

    Best regards,

    Kyle Dalton
    Floating General Manager
    Copart
    3737 East River Road
    Fridley, MN 55421
    651-587-8194

  4. We at San Diego Bay Marine Inc. are proud to announce our plans to start recycling dead and unwanted fiberglass boats in San Diego as early as December 2013 provided state and local license’s boards approve our plan.
    San Diego Bay Marine Inc. plans to cut up and grind the fiberglass to be put right back into the boat building and fiberglass molding industry. This will keep them out of the landfill and cut material costs for builders and keep our eco system cleaner. Visit our website to learn more on our go green effort.