Statewide Shell Recycling Effort Accelerates as NJDEP and Sysco Forge Major New Partnership
TRENTON, NJ – 30/11/2025 – ( SeaPRwire ) – New Jersey’s coastal restoration agenda is set for a significant boost as a new public–private partnership mobilizes one of the state’s most overlooked resources: discarded seafood shells. In a move that environmental advocates say could reshape shoreline stewardship, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has teamed up with global food-distribution leader Sysco Corporation to expand the state’s shell recycling capacity and accelerate the creation of oyster reefs—natural infrastructure known to enhance biodiversity, buffer storm impacts, and divert waste from landfills. Under the agreement, Sysco will collect oyster and clam shells from restaurants across its service network and deliver them to NJDEP Fish & Wildlife’s Shell Recycling Program. The initiative, already recognized as one of the region’s most successful circular-economy projects, is expected to scale far beyond its current geographic footprint and could...