All of this.... from your old, used line
Kayaks, bobbins, sunglasses and buckets are just a few of the angling-related items that can be made out of old fishing line, according to one of the men behind the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme.
Now, ANLRS co-founder Viv Shears is urging more anglers to recycle their discarded line and help save the planet.
“When fishing line is melted down it helps bind other recyclable plastics together, which can then be moulded into a shape,” he said.
“What you can create from this plastic is up to the manufacturer – so there’s no reason why it can’t be moulded into a tackle box, a pair of sunglasses or a bobbin. The possibilities are endless.
“All it takes is the imagination of a recycler to produce a raw material that a manufacturer can use to make other products.
“How often have we heard that certain plastics aren’t recyclable? But we can now take all fishing lines including fly lines and braid along with the plastic spools that these come on!”
To help transform fishing line into other items, Viv is working with Maltings Organic Treatment Ltd director Steve Carrie, who has been involved in the recycling business for the last 30 years.
Steve is also a keen angler and is co-owner of DNA Baits and understands the effects plastic waste has on the environment.
He said: “Getting involved with ANLRS was a no-brainer for me and I’m glad I can be helping in some capacity to support the scheme and give it some longevity.
“At Maltings, we are able to take these lines that the guys from the scheme are sending us and turn them back into usable products very quickly, while also looking into new developments for using the products.
“We’ve already used blended down fishing lines to create surface boards which can be worked into anything you could imagine.
“They’ve been turned into work surfaces, toilet cubicles, chairs, fishing platforms and signage, to name a few.
“The arty design is also deliberate and is created by a unique blend of melted plastics.
“One tackle brand I was talking to last year also got excited about having one of its products made from recycled fishing lines – it’s all possible with the right mindset and support from the industry.”
The development has been welcomed by anglers and is evident by the hard work of many volunteers who have removed waste line from the environment.
Since March 2018 the ANLRS has signed up 256 tackle shops, 75 fisheries and angling clubs, seven angling coaches and five charter vessels, with an estimated 2.8million metres of line recycled.
Adding to this, the scheme has now been implemented in Northern Ireland and Eire, with plans to do the same in Germany and Belgium.
Viv said: “A local focus within a region or country can only be a positive for the scheme. The recent appointment of Go Fishing Northern Ireland and Bill Brazier, of Off the Scale magazine in Ireland, as volunteer co-ordinators to increase the promotion and availability of recycling locations is fantastic and an obvious extension to the scheme.”
