Recycling bin for that used fishing line
Thanks to local resident Glenn Harkleroad, Bandon area fishers now have a way to recycle their used fishing line.
A container into which used line can be deposited was recently installed by the Port of Bandon at the top of the foot ramp leading down to the marina on First Street.
Harkleroad, a restoration coordinator for the Bureau of Land ,Management, explained that last winter, while working with the Coos' Bay Power Squadron, he learned that the Boat U.S Foundation and Berkley, a fishing tackle manufacturer, had a monofilament line recycling program.
Harkleroad contacted the foundation and was able to obtain five sets of the recycling containers, along with appropriate signage. Berkley also supplied a number of prepaid boxes for mailing line back to the company.
"I believe there were only 300 bins available, and we got three for the Coos Bay area, one for Bandon and one for BLM's Loon Lake Campground in Douglas County," Harkleroad said. A full box of used line collected at Loon Lake has already been returned to Berkley for recycling. The Port of Bandon's bin also has been well used, according to Port Manager Gina Dearth.
Recycled fishing line is used to produce new line, while at the same time keeping old line out of landfills and the marine environment, where it could be harmful to marine life or get tangled up in active fishing gear.
Harkleroad, a recreational fisher and a fisheries biologist by training, said he pursued the recycling program partly as a private citizen and partly as a federal employee. "The issue crosses boundaries", he said. "As a local resident who fishes here, I'm happy to support the port in this manner".
