Oyster shells do NOT belong in your trashcan or your favorite restaurant’s dumpster. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has a dandy oyster restoration project going on at Gloucester Point, Virginia and they need your shells!
Oysters are an important part of the ecosystem in the Chesapeake Bay. They filter pollutants and algae out of waterways, provide important habitat for fish and crabs, and let’s not forget what a tasty treat they are! Oysters remain threatened after years of polluted waterways, overharvesting and disease. CBF’s Save Oyster Shell restoration project takes ‘used’ shells and recycles them as places for new oysters to call home, introducing lots of new oysters into our waterways.
Recently, the Save Oyster Shell program was the happy recipient of 12,000 pounds of oyster shells gathered in just one location in Richmond over the course of 4 months. This amount matched the prior years’ worth of shells from ALL of CBF’s Virginia partners combined. The giant load was collected thanks to City of Richmond, Tidewater Fiber Corporation (your local TFC recycling trucks), Virginia Master Naturalist Program, Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Rappahannock River Oyster Company and four Richmond-based restaurants (Rappahannock Restaurant, Lemaire at the Jefferson Hotel, Acacia Mid-Town, and Pearl Raw Bar).
And not only is that a lot of new material for future generations of oysters, it is also a whole lot of waste that will be given a second life instead of decaying in a landfill. So spread the word to save your shells. Baby oysters just love to attach to them and continue their lives, which is a win-win for everyone!
Good to Do:
- Recycle your oyster shells at one of the four recycling centers in Hampton Roads! Find the location nearest to you now:
- Support local restaurants that participate in the Save Oyster Shell program.
- Planning an oyster roast? CBF can help you collect the shells for recycling.
For more information on this program, call (804) 642-6639.
This blog was submitted by Mary Ann Moxon, writer of the EASY BEING GREENer blog.