Oyster shell recycling is off to a bountiful start at the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW)!  Some 482 pounds of oyster shells — 3,500 shells, or just under seven bushels – have been recollected at the Sisson Street convenience center since DPW started offering oyster shell recycling nearly six months ago.

With the state's oyster season currently in full swing, DPW reminds citizens to take advantage of its free oyster recycling.  In Maryland, the oyster season runs October through March, but restaurants and seafood stores can get oysters from colder waters in New England and Canada to keep the tasty bivalves on City plates almost throughout the year.  

With this recent shell collection, the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) and University of Maryland’s Horn Point Oyster Hatchery will be able to produce up 35,000 baby “spat” oysters.  Each shell is used to support the development of up to 10 larval oysters. The larval oysters attach to the shells, which support their growth.

This past spring, DPW teamed with ORP to offer oyster shell recycling at the Northwest Citizens’ Convenience Center at 2840 Sisson Street. As with other services at the Sisson Street location, oyster shell recycling is free for City residents. The non-profit collects the shells when the bins are full, and make sure they reach the University of Maryland Horn Point Oyster Hatchery in Cambridge.

Working with Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, DPW and ORP devised a recycling station at the Sisson Street yard.