Oyster Shell Recycling Program
CRCL established its Oyster Shell Recycling Program in 2014 to keep shell out of landfills and slow coastal land loss. In partnership with restaurants and our legion of volunteers, we collect, cure and bag oyster shell before using it to build oyster reefs. Since starting the program in 2014, we have recycled more than 10.5 million pounds of shell.
We have built five reefs to date, and we are just getting started. We are always looking to add more restaurants to the program.
Oyster reefs help slow coastal erosion and minimize storm surge, and they create habitat for new oysters to grow, as well as for numerous other species.