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 activate new reef enhancement sites across the state’s coastal waters.
Representatives from both organizations highlighted the environmental significance of the collaboration. John Yates, president of Buckhead Meat & Seafood’s Mid-Atlantic Region, described the effort as a long-awaited opportunity to support the ecological role of oyster reefs. He emphasized that restoring these structures is essential not only for shellfish populations but also for the broader marine ecosystem that sustains local communities.
Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette welcomed Sysco’s involvement, noting that expanded recycling capacity strengthens the state’s resilience to climate-driven impacts. He underscored that oysters naturally filter water, improve water quality, and store carbon within their shells—benefits that position reef restoration as a nature-based climate solution with both ecological and community value.
Sysco’s participation marks a major operational expansion for the Shell Recycling Program, enabling more restaurants and food businesses—previously outside the program’s reach—to participate. Increased shell availability is expected to yield more reef construction, improved habitats for oyster larvae settlement, and stronger long-term population recovery. Greater volume may also allow NJDEP to establish ecological connectivity between reef sites along the state’s coastline.
Growing Into a Statewide Effort
NJDEP Fish & Wildlife Assistant Commissioner Dave Golden noted that oysters serve as a keystone species in local estuaries, providing habitat for numerous recreational and commercially important marine organisms. By recycling shells, the state reduces waste while directly contributing to the recovery of degraded marine environments.
When the program was launched in 2019, it began with a single restaurant partner in Atlantic City. Within a few years, participation expanded rapidly to include nearly every major casino and many of the region’s seafood restaurants. Today, 32 restaurants across Atlantic, Cape May, and Ocean counties contribute to the effort, substantially increasing the shells available for reef enhancement.
Since 2021, more than 45,000 bushels—over 1,100 tons—of recycled shell, supplemented by shells purchased from local processors, have been planted onto reef systems throughout the region.
Recognition, Funding, and New Educational Initiatives
The program’s rapid growth has garnered recognition both locally and nationally. Sysco’s interest emerged as the corporation sought sustainability partners aligned with its environmental commitments.
In 2024, the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) awarded the program an Honorable Mention in the Land, Air, & Cross-Media category of its Innovation Awards for a video illustrating the shell-recycling process. Earlier in 2025, the program’s team members were honored during New Jersey’s State Employee Recognition Day as part of Public Service Recognition Week.
The initiative has also secured competitive grants. Funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coastal Zone Management Program enabled expansion beyond Atlantic City and supported the launch of Project S.H.E.L.L. (Strengthening Habitats through Environmental Learning and Leadership). This educational program provides hands-on marine science learning experiences for students in Atlantic City and surrounding communities, building future stewardship capacity alongside environmental restoration.