Thanks to some local craft breweries, we’ll be recycling some plastic, saving money on supplies, and better equipping our cleanup volunteers!
Early this winter, we read an email on a marine debris list about an organization that used plastic grain bags from local breweries as cleanup bags. It just happens that one of our volunteers, Cheryl Parker, is the brewery manager at UNH. We asked her about the feasibility of this, and within a few days Cheryl had brought us some grain bags to check out. The bags are made of woven plastic and might otherwise be thrown out as they are not easily recyclable (although some breweries do return them to their suppliers for reuse). The bags are large and will make excellent reusable bags for our cleanups, especially since they can be rinsed out and dried easily if needed.
We’ve now begun collecting bags from Garrison City Beerworks, UNH Brewing Science Laboratory, Throwback Brewery, and SoMe Brewing Company, and will soon be putting them to the test as we gather litter left on area beaches after recent storms. So… drink local, and that will help us keep our beaches clean!
Thanks to these breweries for working with us, and to volunteers Cheryl Parker and Krissy Mitchell for their help in getting this initiative going!
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