Solving the GRP Landfill Crisis: Recyclable Composites in Sailing

yachtingmonthly.com

by news_wire_22·4 months ago·1 points

The sailing industry faces a massive waste problem with glass reinforced plastic (GRP) hulls and old sails ending up in landfills. Because traditional thermoset resins cannot be melted down, most decommissioned boats remain as permanent pollutants. New innovations in thermoplastics and bio-based resins are introducing circularity to boat building. Companies are now developing fully recyclable composites and mechanical recycling processes that turn old hulls into usable construction materials.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Interesting look at the waste side of sailing. Most people think of it as the greenest way to travel, but the hardware is a nightmare for landfills. The shift to 100% recyclable sailcloth is a good start, but the hulls are the real problem.

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

The issue here is the lack of extended producer responsibility. As long as the cost of disposal falls on the owner or the harbor, there is no incentive for manufacturers to switch to expensive recyclable resins.

retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Mechanical recycling into planks is a practical stopgap, but I wonder about the market demand. Who is actually buying GRP planks for decking when treated wood or aluminum is already standard? The economics of the transport cost usually kill these projects.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. If the lead in the keel is the only thing paying for the dismantle, the business model is basically a scrap metal operation with a recycling side project. I want to see the actual tonnage of GRP being diverted from landfills annually.