The Danish partner in Save the North Sea project has conducted a pilot study of recycling old fishing nets. The study aims to explore the possibility of fishermen bringing their old used fishing nets for recycling. During the study, more than 340 tonnes of plastic material were recycled.
Pilot study Skagen Educational Center in Denmark has conducted a pilot study to explore the possibility of fishermen bringing back their old, used nets for recycling. So called ghost nets – fishing nets drifting in the water – can form a deadly trap for birds, fish and a whole host of marine mammals. The nets may also get entangled in propellers, costing boat owners money and endangering lives at sea. Skagen Educational Center bought a six-tonne recycling machine able to process vast amounts of plastic materials by chopping used plastic products into small fragments. Recycling more than 340 tonnes of plastics The recycling machine takes all plastic marine litter ranging from old netting and buoys to floats and fish boxes. It can handle up to 1 400 plastic barrels per day. The machine had, by the end of 2004, recycled more than 340 tonnes of plastic materials. Skagen Education Center in Skagen is cooperating with sub-partners Skagen Truck Service and Skagen Harbour to transport the material and recycling it. The plastics have so far been collected from Denmark.		Jens Lundholm Pedersen from Skagen Education Center is in charge of the pilot project to recycle plastic material.   The recycling machine takes all plastic marine litter ranging from old netting and buoys to floats and fish boxes.