Due to increasing instances of people, property, and wildlife becoming entangled in fishing lines that have been left behind or lost, there is a need to act on this problem. Fishing line can last in the environment for up to 600 years and there is no way to properly recycle it in household bins as recycling facilities here do not accept it. Disposing of old, used, and broken fishing lines in the trash is also not effective as there is still a risk of it escaping into the environment by blowing out of garbage cans or landfills, or being removed by wildlife who may try to ingest it. 

In an attempt to take preventative measures on these issues, the Fishing Line Recycling Station Program began in 2025 as a partnership with Lake Huron North. Since receiving funding through Lake Huron North, we have made ten fishing line recycling stations. We hope to deploy these stations at various boat launches and marinas in the local area to provide anglers with a convenient and safe place to dispose of their used fishing lines. From these stations, we will empty and sort the contents, and then ship the fishing line to the Berkley Conservation Institute who has developed technology that can recycle old fishing line into artificial fish habitat structures, tackle boxes and fishing line spools.