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Creston Valley Rod and Gun Club starts recycling program for monofilament fishing line

The receptacles can be found at Mawson Lake, Wynndel Store, Duck Lake, Kuskanook, Kootenay Bay, Boswell, and Balfour
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The Creston Valley Rod and Gun Club Fisheries Committee has implemented a mono-filament fishing line recycling program. (Pixabay)

Submitted by Creston Valley Rod and Gun Club Fisheries Committee

The Creston Valley Rod and Gun Club has initiated a monofilament fishing line recycling program by placing receptacles (made with 6-inch PVC pipe) around various well-used fishing areas in the Creston Valley. The materials and supplies to construct these stations were donated by Pyramid Builders in Creston. The receptacles can be found at Mawson Lake, Wynndel Store, Duck Lake, Kuskanook, Kootenay Bay, Boswell, and Balfour.

This monofilament line is not accepted in the normal plastic recycling bins. As a result, the lines end up in a landfills or in rivers, lakes, and on shorelines when discarded. The lines are not biodegradable, and we all know the damage it can do to wildlife. Monofilament line takes an estimated 600 years to breakdown in the environment, and even then, it only becomes smaller pieces of plastic, called “microplastics”.

As an aside, unfortunately, braided line is not recyclable as it is made from a variety of plastics that cannot be recycled in its manufactured form. Used braided line should be cut into short 12-inch pieces and thrown in the garbage.

Our volunteers plan to monitor these receptacles and remove fishing line as required. The line will be packaged and sent to Berkley (the only company doing this) in the U.S.A to be recycled into various products, such as fishing line spool and tackle boxes, but not fishing line. So rather than leaving this legacy for our great-great grandchildren, we would like to do our part now to remove this product from our environment and have anglers recycle it. Please help us make a difference and stuff those receptacles with your used monofilament line.