Alabama Coastal Foundation’s program recycles 31.5 million oyster shells

Alabama's Oyster Shell Recycle program has reached another milestone by saving more than 500 large dump trucks of oyster shells! The oyster shells collected over the last decade weigh the equivalent of 665 elephants and have helped to restore more than 120 acres (48.5 hectares) of reef.

The Alabama Coastal Foundation started the program in 2016 with a grant from the (U.S.) National Wildlife and Fish Administration to collect the shells from local restaurants. The program was launched in phases but is now open to all restaurants in coastal Alabama.

Collected oyster shells are returned to Alabama waters where they provide habitat, limit erosion, improve water quality, and help more oysters to grow.

For more information about this and the foundation’s other initiatives, visit Create a Clean Water Future.

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