Aug. 22, 2007

It’s thin, nearly invisible and strong and can take up to 600 years to biodegrade. It’s monofilament fishing line – and it is deadly to fish, birds and other animals who become entangled in it. County Executive Andy Spano was at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle today to roll out a new fishing line recycling initiative designed to keep fishing line out of county waterways, eliminating its danger to wildlife and helping the environment.

Spano was joined by County Legislators Ken Jenkins, Vito Pinto and Judy Myers and New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson in making the announcement.
“It’s hard to believe that something as ordinary as fishing line could be so dangerous to wildlife,” Spano said. “Most anglers have no idea that fishing line can be such a hazard. They think they’re doing the right thing by disposing used lines in the trash, but that can be unsafe for small animals that scavenge in garbage cans. It can even be a hazard to swimmers and cause damage to boat motors.”

 The county has installed plastic fishing line recycling bins at popular fishing spots in 10 county parks.  Many bait and tackle stores and marinas have agreed to set up recycling bins and to help distribute educational materials.  Also, many municipalities, including New Rochelle, have agreed to install recycling bins at local fishing areas and to distribute special, waterproof self-mailing envelopes to anglers who apply for fishing licenses in their communities.

 "Plastic is bad enough for the environment but these fishing lines compound the damage. They present a safety hazard to swimmers and wildlife," said County Legislator Ken Jenkins, who chairs the county board's Parks Committee. "The recycling initiative is a great proactive way to address the environmental and safety concerns around the use of fishing lines simply and effectively in all our county's waterways."

"The cost to remedy this hazard is negligible," said County Legislator Vito Pinto who represents New Rochelle and formerly chaired the Parks Committee. "The big challenge is to change people’s habits and to raise awareness that fishing lines are like other hazardous products such as oil, tires or old computer equipment that can no longer be disposed of in the nearest garbage can."

 Spano has also reached out to the commissioners of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to encourage them to replicate the program in reservoirs and waterways statewide.

Spano added that the mailer envelopes can be used by people who fish in more remote locations – such as New York City reservoir lands – to collect their own line and line they come across while they’re fishing. All the line collected in the bins and the envelopes will be sent to the Berkley Pure Fishing Company in Iowa, where it will be recycled into raw plastic pellets that are used to manufacture tackle boxes and other products.

 “Convenience really encourages people to recycle,” Spano said. “We’re trying to get the word out and to distribute as many bins, envelopes and educational pieces as we can. There is no safe way to discard fishing line except to cut it into very small pieces. We want to make it as easy as possible for anglers to do their part and recycle.”
 The fishing line recycling initiative is modeled after successful programs which are ongoing in many Florida counties and in Bermuda.