SUNDERLAND MARINE SUPPORTS FISHING LINE RECYCLING PROJECT TO CLEAN UP NORTH EAST COAST

Sunderland Marine supports fishing line recycling project to clean up North East coast. Sunderland Marine underwriter James Simison explains the importance of responsible fishing line disposal and describes his company’s involvement in the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme:

Anglers in the United Kingdom use an estimated 1.25 million kilometres of fishing line each year, and while the majority safely dispose of the material after use, just one piece of improperly discarded line poses a serious threat to marine life, birds, pets and even people.

However, fishing line is not accepted by council recycling centres, and the most common methods for disposing of the material have a negative impact on the environment. Left in landfill, heavy monofilament line takes around 600 years to degrade, polluting local water sources with toxic microplastics as it breaks down. If incinerated, the material releases harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.

To provide a safe, environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fishing line disposal methods, volunteer-led organisation Local Independent Sea Anglers created the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme (ANLRS) in 2018. In 2021, the ANLRS launched an initiative that saw volunteers recover and recycle over 1,000 kilograms of fishing debris and 2,000 metres of fishing line from the Sussex coast in just 12 months. Now, with the help of Sunderland Marine, the ALNRS is carrying out a similar project in the UK’s North East.

Founded in Sunderland in 1882 and based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne since its 2014 merger with global marine insurer North P&I, Sunderland Marine has strong ties to the local fishing community. The market-leading fixed-premium marine insurance provider, which specialises in fishing vessels and has proudly supported the ALNRS since its inception, is helping fund efforts to clear discarded fishing line from North East shores.

Through the installation of 12 recycling bins at locations along the Sunderland coast, the project will allow anglers and the general public to safely dispose of fishing line and fishing debris found on local beaches that could otherwise endanger wildlife. All the material collected during the project will be recycled by plastics-recycling company ReFactory. It can then be returned to the community in useful forms – as benches or even recycling stations to help protect the environment from which it was salvaged.

The first bins have been adopted by Sunderland City Council and will be maintained and emptied by the City Council Environmental Services North team, while other councils in the North East may install the facilities as the project develops. Global animal welfare charity Animals Asia, which has a presence in Sunderland and conducts regular community beach cleans in the area, has also welcomed the initiative.

For further information, please see here:  https://www.anglers-nlrs.co.uk/get-involved