Oyster Shell Recycling Program Gets $5-Million Grant

WKRG reports that a new $5-million grant from Restore America’s Estuaries will expand oyster shell recycling over the next 3 years. “With this program, the Alabama Coastal Foundation should be able to double the number of restaurants that are participating in the oyster shell recycling, and that helps us get more of those shells to put back into the water to grow new oysters,” Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship explained. The program has already collected 22.2 million shells. Once collected, the shells sit and cure along the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores. They’re then put into large piles for approximately 6 months until a decision is made on their final placement.