A Sustainable Solution for Fiberglass Waste

Fiberglass boats are easy to find—they’re scattered in backyards, covered in leaves, or abandoned in marinas with barnacles clinging to their hulls. These boats have all one thing in common: they’ve outlived their usefulness. Unlike metal, fiberglass doesn’t rust or rot. It’s incredibly durable and, unfortunately, incredibly hard to get rid of. Once a fiberglass boat is no longer wanted, the typical options are either burial in a landfill or incineration, both of which have severe environmental impacts.

Entrepreneurs frequently approach us with ideas for boat recycling businesses. One such example is a gentleman who convinced his relatives to fund his venture. After stripping boats of their valuable parts—like motors, windshields, fuel tanks, and outdrives—he was left with the fiberglass hulls and no clear solution for disposing of them. When his 2-acre yard became filled with the remains of over 200 boats, he discovered that disposing of the fiberglass would cost more than the profit earned from selling the metal parts.

This isn’t an isolated case. In Florida alone, there are over 10,000 abandoned boats littering waterways, and over one million registered boats. While the state has made efforts to tackle the problem, allocating over a million dollars in recent years to remove abandoned boats, the funds were depleted in just four months, barely scratching the surface of the issue.

The Challenge of Fiberglass Disposal

There are currently three primary methods for dealing with fiberglass waste:

1. Landfill: Fiberglass placed in landfills will remain there for up to 400 years, contributing to long-term environmental pollution.
2. Incineration: Burning fiberglass (or "thermal oxidation") is another method, but it’s not ideal. The process creates ash, which still needs to be disposed of in landfills. Studies show that up to 25-30% of the fiberglass remains as ash post-incineration.
3. Recycling: The most sustainable option is recycling, and that’s where American Fiber Green Products’ Amour Process comes in. Our method grinds up fiberglass boats and recycles 100% of the material into usable products.

American Fiber Green Products’ Amour Process: A Game Changer

Our recycling plan is straightforward and efficient. First, we remove all non-fiberglass components from the boats, such as steel, aluminum, and any remaining hardware. The fiberglass hull is then downsized into smaller pieces and fed into our patented conditioner, where it is transformed into a formulated mixture. This recycled material is then used to create new, environmentally friendly products.

What Does It Cost?

Given the labor-intensive nature of boat recycling, each project incurs a disposal fee. We provide a pick-up service depending on the location and the specific needs of the customer. However, because most of the valuable components (motors, hardware, etc.) have usually been stripped from the boat, the labor required to prepare the fiberglass for recycling is significant.

We strive to keep our disposal costs as close to landfill rates as possible. However, since the recycling process requires a considerable amount of labor, we price each boat based on the complexity and effort involved in getting it ready for processing.