Project Update October 2022
Recycle Môr has been running for 1 year and with the help of our local fishers and project partners Waterhaul, we have recycled an amazing 3 tonnes of End of Life (EoL) fishing gear. The project funding has come to an end and we are looking at new ways to fund the project so that we can expand and place bins in more harbours. However, we are still collecting and recycling the EoL fishing gear from our bins at Lowertown Fishguard, Solva, Porthgain, Tenby, Saundersfoot and Neyland. 

To keep this pilot project afloat until it can be self-sustainable, we need your help. This project can only be successful with support from the whole community, from private businesses to the fisher’s themselves, to the public. Plastic pollution is problem for everyone and needs support from everyone. Can you make a donation and make a real difference to the Recycle Môr project and ocean plastic pollution? The long term aim is to make it sustainable but until then we need your help.

We originally had funding from EMFF to trial a system to collect, sort and recycle end of life plastic gear into high quality products.  The pilot was challenging, especially at smaller harbours where smaller collections make it less economical but just as important, such as Porthgain and Lower Town Fishguard. The small size, type of fishing industry and remote location was seen as a barrier to a system being previously implemented in Wales. However, our pilot has shown that smaller harbours can collect more waste for recycling than bigger harbours. We think this is due to the increased engagement directly with the fishers whereas it can be harder to communicate with fishers at the bigger harbours. Now that we have shown how successful the scheme is, we want to expand to other harbours across Pembrokeshire and Wales.

Project Background

The rope and nets would last hundreds of years in the environment as they are made to be as strong as possible, these properties are what make them perfect to be recycled into high quality products. Waterhaul intend to launch new Pembrokeshire editions of their sunglasses, made form the material collected through the Recycle Môr scheme, into order to help fund the work.

This project is vital as not only is marine plastic pollution as waste of high-quality resources but each year 8 to 12 million tonnes of plastic enters the oceans, if this waste is given a value, then it creates an even higher incentive to be recovered from the sea and be re-used. Recycling the plastic also creates less greenhouse gasses than using virgin materials. End of life fishing gear also poses a risk by continuing to fish while left in the sea, nets and traps continue to catch animals where they become entangled and die of starvation, this then acts as bait and attracts other animals, and the cycle continues.

Lloyd Nelmes, Marine Project Officer, at Sea Trust Wales, said:

“Through previous projects we have identified a need for better waste collection in harbours, especially in smaller harbours. There is a large expense associated with removing waste but repurposing it into new high-quality items could be the solution”

Harry Dennis, Founder and CEO, at Waterhaul, said:

“We’re excited to be able to demonstrate the transformation from waste material into valued resource, and how this can be used to drive positive change and impact.”

Cllr Paul Miller, Pembrokeshire County Council's Cabinet Member for the Economy said, "This project will enable Pembrokeshire fishers to recycle locally produced marine waste, and also allow them to deal with the large amounts of marine litter brought to our coast by the Gulf Stream."