CLOSING THE LOOP ON FISHING LEAD​

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The RECYC-LEAD Initiative helps remove discarded fishing lead from marine environments and turn a persistent form of underwater waste into a responsible reuse opportunity.

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Lost sinkers and tackle weights can remain hidden on the seafloor for years, adding to the cumulative pressure on marine habitats. Through Aquaholics clean-up dives, community collection points and partnerships with divers, snorkellers, fishers and coastal groups, recovered lead is separated from other debris and directed into safe recycling pathways.

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Where appropriate, the project aims to close the loop by transforming recovered fishing lead into practical dive weights, reducing waste while lowering demand for newly sourced material. Each recovered weight tells a simple story: pollution removed, material reused, and divers helping reduce their impact on the places they explore.

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RECYC-LEAD connects marine debris removal, circular economy thinking and practical conservation action — one sinker, one clean-up and one reused weight at a time.

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PLEASE NOTE: Lead is handled only through appropriate safety procedures & recycling pathways

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What we recover:

• Sinkers

• Tackle weights

• Lead fragments

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What happens next:

• Collected

• Separated

• Weighed

• Recycled/reused safely

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For detail regarding how much lead has been recycled so far, please visit our Impacts page

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