Oakridge city crew installs a pair of monofilament recycling bins at Greenwaters Park

By DOUG BATES/The Herald — Oakridge anglers, take note: Greenwaters park now sports a pair of monofilament recycling bins — repositories where fishermen, or good citizens who clean up after them, can place littered fishing line and tackle for safe recycling.

The two bins were installed by city workers at the park Friday afternoon as part of a program undertaken by the group Willamette Riverkeeper and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. One bin greets visitors near the main picnic area, and other sits near the public boat ramp at the rest area in the west end of the park.

The Oakridge City Council unanimously approved the installations on March 4. Total cost of the project to the city was estimated to be $23, for one hour of labor.  Willamette Riverkeeper, the Portland-based nonprofit dedicated to stewardship of the nation’s longest northern-flowing river, has committed to maintaining the recycling bins.

Monofilament fishing line — made from a single fiber of plastic, as opposed to braided fishing line constructed from multiple fibers of material – has become a significant source of pollution and threat to wildlife in the nation’s rivers, including the Middle Fork of the Willamette in Oakridge. Resident Michelle Emmons, south valley advocate for WillametteRiverkeeper, proposed the recycling station at Greenwaters and pledged to have her organization tend to it.

The Oakridge installation — a goal of the “Keep Oregon Rivers Clean” initiative — is among 12 planned in the upper Willamette region, including parks and boat ramps in Springfield, Eugene, Corvallis and the McKenzie area. Partnering agencies include the City of Oakridge, McKenzie Flyfishers, Willamalane Parks and Recreation District, City of Eugene Parks & Open Spaces, and Corvallis Parks and Recreation.

Monofilament is collected from the recycling bins and cleaned of hooks, leaders, weights and trash by volunteers. It is then shipped to a commercial site, where it is melted down and made into other plastic products, including tackle boxes, spools for line, fish habitats and toys. It is not made into more monofilament line.

When disposed of improperly monofilament can be hazardous to marine life, scuba divers and even boat propellers. Even when put in the trash monofilament can end up harming wildlife at landfills. When possible it is best to recycle used fishing line rather than place it in the garbage.

Herald Editor Doug Bates is a retired newspaper journalist who lives in Oakridge.