A Rhode Island pilot is demonstrating how fibreglass boat recycling could provide an alternative to sending old and derelict vessels to landfill. The programme shredded fibreglass hulls and sent the material to a cement manufacturer for use in cement production. According to a Rhode Island Marine Trade Association Foundation report, the pilot recycled 80 short tons of fibreglass from derelict and abandoned boats. NOAA later reported that RIMTA recycled nearly 20 metric tonnes of fibreglass in New England during the project period. Backed by a $105,000 NOAA grant, the initiative explored how the model could expand beyond Rhode Island as about 200,000 recreational boats reach the end of their usable life in the US each year.
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