The Massachusetts (MA) Oyster Project, a nonprofit organization based in Cape Cod, is preparing for its third annual oyster recycling program. The program aims to keep oyster shells out of landfills and create regenerative habitats for the shellfish.
The nonprofit works closely with local restaurants, which they reach through word of mouth, or by holding events and tabling at farmers’ markets around Cape Cod. Liv Woods, the MA Oyster Project’s Executive Director, explains that after shucking, serving, and bussing oysters, restaurant workers toss the shells into a five-pound bucket distributed by the organization.
Customers can also get involved, by bringing their own oyster shells to participating restaurants. There, customers can find posters to dispose of the shells themselves and learn more about the project. The organization then sends volunteers to collect and bring shells to the local dump, Erika Smith, the MA Oyster Project Manager, tells Food Tank.
Town officials in Wellfleet and Yarmouth store shells for one year at the dump to prevent unwanted pathogens and bacteria from polluting the sea. And then town employees put the shells into the oyster’s shallow-water habitats. “It is a partnership because, at the end of the day, [towns and hatcheries] are getting the shells back into the water… but it fulfills our mission,” Smith says.
When oysters spawn, they need a substrate, a solid material for their eggs. The returned oyster shells act as that perfect substrate for new populations. “By putting the shells back in the water where there is already an oyster population, so they are spawning, it is a regenerative process. They can have a home, a place to attach to,” Smith explains. Similar efforts in Chesapeake Bay show how supporting oyster habitats contributes to oyster population growth and healthier waters.
This work, which Woods describes as a whole-community approach, prevents oyster shells from decomposing in a landfill or harming composting efforts—shells are too rough to process in elixir machines used for composting.
This summer, Woods and Smith are planning events and securing additional sponsorships to ensure that the program can operate and continue to grow. They are also thinking about how to improve the program’s efficiency as they plan to expand, considering whether to change the size of collection buckets, alter their employee structure, and explore pick-up vehicle options.
According to Woods, the Project has seen more recycled shells in the last two years since the start of the program. They began collecting and recycling shells in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, which is home to one of the few waters with natural spawn and wild oysters, she tells Food Tank.
Most recently, the MA Oyster Project expanded into Yarmouth, which is already using oyster shells as substrates to increase populations. The recycling program will collect and donate oyster shells to help the town restore water cleanliness in the Bass River, Woods tells Food Tank. Oysters are filter feeders, and according to The Nature Conservancy, they act as a natural cleanser for the ocean, keeping Cape Cod’s waters less polluted and full of biodiversity.
After two full years of collecting oyster shells in Cape Cod, restaurants closer to Boston are reaching out to get involved, Smith says.
At the beginning of the oyster recycling project, Smith says, “We saw just the tops [of the shells]….But being involved in the project and seeing what was happening with the shells and understanding that there is more value in not throwing it in the trash, the restaurants have trained their staff better.”
The MA Oyster Project is also participating in conservation efforts throughout the state to enhance natural habitats and protect indigenous plant and animal species. Engaged in conversations with environmental organizations around the state, including the Department of Marine Fisheries, The Nature Conservancy, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the MA Oyster Project is embracing Massachusetts Governor Healy’s Biodiversity Plan. The plan promotes collaboration between environmental organizations and Massachusetts to improve biodiversity.
“The great thing is that we are actually all talking, and the state is more and more involved in the conversation and being open to the conversation,” Smith tells Food Tank. The MA Oyster Project has also been lobbying for a bill in the Massachusetts State Legislature to give restaurants involved in the recycling program a tax break. If passed, the state would grant tax paying individuals, corporations, and restaurants a tax credit for donating oyster shells to an oyster recycling organization, incentivizing people to recycle oyster shells.
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.
Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Coneybeer
