All fishing lines cannot be recycled. But some of them can be. Recyclable fishing lines are the ones which are single filament and made of nylon product such as fluorocarbon or monofilament. Fishing lines which are braided or which contain wire as well as fishing lines with plant material around it cannot be recycled. In order to recycle a fishing line, you should cut it up in small pieces (less than 30 cm) and place in a covered recycle bin to ensure that it is disposed of properly.
The monofilament and fluorocarbon fishing lines are collected from recycling bins and cleaned of other materials such as leaders, trash, weights, and hooks, mostly by volunteers. After that, they are shipped to a recycling company. In here, they are melted down into raw plastic pellets which can be used to produce other plastic products including toys, tackle boxes, fish habitats and spools for the line. They are not used to make more fishing lines.
Recyclable Monofilament Fishing Lines
Such lines include standard conventional nylon filaments. They are produced from nylon and similar carbon chain based materials. They are therefore transparent and relatively robust. They have worse features than others in every way. But if you want a flexible fishing line, of course, these are the most prominent ones as flexibility. Some may grow up to 40% of their height before breaking. On the other hand, they have a great advantage because they are very cheap.
With the development of the monofilaments, especially in terms of strength, thermal monofilaments, silicone-like additives, etc. are produced. Although they are slightly more expensive, they are extremely robust. They can handle loads of twice the weight of the same thickness. They have more flexibility. However, they do not perform very well, especially in terms of memory than the standard monofilament.
Disadvantages of Monofilament Fishing Lines
The weakest part of the monofilament is that it is not resistant to nodes. Therefore, it is necessary to make the connection in such a way that the line that pulls the load is least damaged, not as a rope ties. This is a difficult task, especially in the anchor nodes. I think we could have used 020 instead of 035 if we could tie properly.
Another disadvantage is that they are very sensitive to UV light. UV light disrupts the structure of these nylon-based fishing lines. They become very fragile and brittle as their transparency slowly disappears, so you should not keep them in the sun as much as possible. Indeed, all other species are somehow affected by the sun, but the monofilament is more than almost all. For the US market, the diameters are not specified and the test load is given instead. In this case, the given load value actually shows the diameter at which the ordinary monofilament will lift.
Cheap and Recyclable Fishing Lines
Still, monofilament fishing line is one of the most used fishing lines. And it can be recycled. From preparing a fishing line to wrapping it to reel, it responds to all kinds of fishing line needs with different thicknesses and pulling values. The manufacturers are further developing by adding different additives for these lines. Copolymer filaments, etc. are diverse product groups having really good features from flexibility to knot strength and durability. Choosing the most suitable fishing line for you carries your hunting pleasure to the top.
Some of these fishing lines are sold as single pieces in the box and some are sold as 8 or 10 side by side spools connected to each other. In this way, you can get along fishing line. For example, if you buy 3 pieces of a 100-meter fishing line, you get a 300-meter line on a 3-reel. As with any fishing line, do not expose your fishing line to the sun and heat when you are not using it. In this way, the life of your line will be longer.
Monofilament fishing lines can be recycled thanks to their structure and material they are made of. Nylon material simply is melted down into plastic pieces, and then can be reused to produce other products made of the same material. So, if you ever wonder why recycling is that important? Why should we choose recyclable products instead of others? Let’s take a deeper look into the solid wastes and recycling.
Solid Wastes and Recycling
Waste management is an important issue that needs to be controlled globally, covering the environment, public health, safety, and the economy. Garbage such as plastic not only ruins the natural beauty of the shorelines but can also be caught in the propellers of boats and clog the cooling systems of the engines.
Marine wastes and the trash on the coasts bring serious problems. Many sea creatures, such as fish, dolphins, whales, and seabirds, often try to eat plastics, assuming they are food. Commonly found substances are cigarette stubs, plastic bottles, plastic bags, waste nets, foams, bottle caps, fishing lines, and other waste.
Bottles, cans, fishing gear, plastic bags, and similar waste can trap birds and other creatures, cause wounds on their bodies or even kill them. Birds and some other creatures try to feed their offspring with these wastes. In this case, the result is the same, suffocation or poisoning…
How Can Solid Wastes Be Controlled?
- To reduce the amount of packaging you need to dispose of, buy products in bulk in large packages.
- The best method is to bring back what you take. You can also go one step further and pick up the trash left by less thoughtful people.
- Before putting something on your boat, remove the products from their packaging as much as possible.
- If the sea and weather conditions get harder, secure the materials on the deck so that they do not fall into the sea and disappear.
- Trash cans and appropriate disposal sites may not be available in most areas. Do not ignore this while planning and storing your cruise.
- Do not let the garbage be thrown or fly into the sea.
- If garbage flies into the sea, try to get it back. Don’t throw cigarette stubs in the sea. Place it in a closed box and throw it to the appropriate places when you reach ashore.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle.
Recycling and Its Importance
It is estimated that at least 300 million tons of plastics are produced each year and demand is rapidly increasing. On the other hand, plastic recycling cannot develop in parallel. In 1995, one out of every four PET bottles was estimated to be recycled; In 2006, one out of every five bottles is considered to be recyclable. With annual fossil fuel used to produce plastic bottles in North America, the annual fuel need for 100,000 cars can be met.
It is estimated that 90% of marine wastes are plastic and the weight of these plastics is more than six times the total weight of zooplankton. According to a study in the Virgin Islands, when a water cooler/filter system is installed on a catamaran that can accommodate 10 guests, it reduces the consumption of 500 plastic bottles per week. This means almost 10,000 bottles per season for a single boat, and when applied widely, this method can significantly reduce the use of plastic bottles in boat tours.
What Can You Do
- Identify a recycling strategy that suits you, and sort out the garbage and mark the items that can be disposed of in the bins.
- Reduce the amount of plastic you use. Choose reusable shopping bags, aluminum water bottles, and reusable boxes. Shop from suppliers where you can find organic and reusable products.
- Instead of polyethylene, use corn starch bags.
- Get to know your plastics. Observe the codes on the bottom of the cans or bottles. Choose the most suitable plastic products for recycling. Sorting between recycled plastic types is 1- PET and 2-HDPE. The higher the number, the less likely it is to be recycled.
- Use recycled plastic.
- Minimize the use of disposable plastic and storage products and disposable bags while onboard.
- Prefer organic or biodegradable products.
- Recycle oil, battery, battery plastic, metal, glass and newspaper in suitable ways.
- Recycle or dispose of your fishing equipment properly.
- Use the Marina recycling facilities. If these are not available at your site, take them to the nearest recycling collection point.
- Encourage marinas to offer recycling opportunities.
Waste Decomposition Times in Nature
What is the period of decomposition of the garbage we throw into nature? How many years they disappear in the soil. Things we throw to the environment such as glass bottles, chewing gum, coke, pet bottle, cigarette filter, plastic materials, plastic lighters, paper, pen newspaper, aluminum, phone card, polyurethane, plastic plates, batteries, gelatins and many more I can not count damages the soil and our environment while they decompose in nature. These products that we throw into the environment disappear in the soil in so many years.
How much of our daily garbage poison the soil when it is thrown into the soil in case it is not recycled? Did you think how many years will it disappear if we bury the gelatin of a drink, a food? Can we show our kids our garbage 15 years ago? Make sure that they can live longer than the lives of all humanity. For example, glass bottles disappear completely in nature between 4000-4500 years.
Waste oils are another aspect. 1 million liters of water is contaminated when 1 million liters of oil is poured into the sink. The papers that we throw in the trash without thinking, both cause the destruction of forests and also destroy the world’s oxygen resources. But unconscious consumption continues. In Istanbul alone, 3000 tons of paper goes to waste every day. This means cutting down thousands of trees. So, what can we do for that?
What Should Be Done for Recycling?
Recycling of the goods we use protects our environment and nature. Do not throw any garbage into the floor. Every recycled substance contributes to the national economy. We should dispose of our waste such as pet bottles, plastic materials, aluminum, and paper to scrap shops and municipal recycling points. In particular, we should dispose of our batteries in the battery waste bins. If there is no battery waste collection point at your neighboorhood, collect and dispose of it in the battery waste collection box at anywhere else. When the battery enters the soil, it poisons the soil. Collect garbage on the floor and throw it into the trash. Be an example of those around you with this behavior. Try to tell people what they do not understand verbally with your actions.
Explain and apply the importance of recycling in our schools. Set up recycling centers. The most important is to use alternative material for paper. Generating energy in natural ways. Make training and application tools from recycled materials.
You can also contribute to recycling. You can start by separating your waste materials. If we reuse waste materials, we can increase the age of our world a little more. Preventing waste is very important. The fact that everything is plastic and foam is very risky for our health.
Let’s see how long it takes for some wastes to disappear in nature:
- 1 glass bottle disappears in nature 4000-4500 years
- The gum you throw on the ground will disappear in the soil in 5 years.
- Pet plastic bottle disappears in 400-450 years
- Cigarette filter butts: 2 years
- Plastic lighters: 100 years
- Newspaper and paper wastes: disappear in the soil in 3 months
- Polyurethane Foam: Disappears in 1000 years
- Aluminum: disappears in 100 years.
- Apple Trash: 2-3 months
- Carton Milk Box: 3 months
- Wool Socks: 1-5 years
- Styrofoam Tea Cup: 50 years
- Newspaper: 6 weeks
- Fishing Line: 600 years
- Canister: 50 years
- Plastic Bottle: 450 years
- Plastic Bottle Holder: 400 years
- Light Separating Bottle Holder: 6 months
- Plywood: 1-3 years
- Carton Box: 2 months
- Disposable Diaper: 450 years
- Handkerchief: 2-4 weeks
- Smoking Trash: 1-5 years
- Aluminum Box (Coke, Fanta Boxes): 200 years
- Cotton Dress: 2-5 months
- Battery: 300 years
- Iron: 200 – 300 years
- Fishing line: 600 years
- Phonecards: 1000 years
Leave a clean world to your grandchildren and your next generation. I hope that this information will give you direction about your future.
All in all, you should care about using a recyclable fishing line before you go fishing. It is a good and beneficial hobby, and you can make it harmless for the environment if you use recyclable products when doing it.
