In the United States, The Yamaha Rightwaters plastics recycling program returned more than 4,500 kilograms of Polyethylene and Polypropylene sheet plastics back to base materials during 2021, proving a pilot concept the sustainability initiative hopes to expand in 2022. Yamaha Rightwaters announced the program in August and continues to work with Nexus® of Atlanta, Georgia and Tommy Nobis Enterprises® of Marietta, Georgia, to develop a larger national program intended to reduce plastic waste in America’s waterways.
“Polyethylene and Polypropylene constitute a substantial portion of the plastic in our oceans harming fish populations. This pilot program proves these plastics can be broken down in a cost-effective manner that Yamaha Rightwaters can potentially replicate on a national level,” said Martin Peters, the Government Relations Division Manager for the Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “It also demonstrates that Yamaha builder and dealer partners are willing to become active participants in the program, further underscoring a marine industry commitment to conservation and sustainability.”
Yamaha developed a reverse logistics program to return the protective covers from select boat builders, retail dealers and its three boat production facilities. The sheet plastic used in the pilot program comes from protective boat covers at Contender Boats, Regulator Marine, Xpress Boats, Yamaha Jet Boat Manufacturing (YJBM), Skeeter and G3 Boats.
The materials ship to Tommy Nobis Enterprises, which separates recyclable plastics from other materials, such as plastic zippers, cords and eyelets.
Tommy Nobis Enterprises then ships the material – known as feedstock in the recycling industry – to Nexus® for processing into raw materials, which range from gasses to waxes. Those raw materials are used for other products.
Yamaha Rightwaters is a national sustainability program that encompasses all of Yamaha Marine’s conservation and water quality efforts. Program initiatives include habitat restoration, support for scientific research, mitigation of invasive species, the reduction of marine debris and environmental stewardship education. Yamaha Rightwaters reinforces Yamaha’s long-standing history of natural resource conservation, support of sustainable recreational fishing and water resources and Angler Code of Ethics, which requires pro anglers to adhere to principles of stewardship for all marine resources.
Yamaha’s U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., is responsible for the sales, marketing, and distribution of Yamaha Marine products in the U.S. including Yamaha Outboards, Yamaha WaveRunners, Yamaha Boats, G3 Boats and Skeeter Boats. Supporting 2,400 dealers and boat builders nationwide, Yamaha is the industry leader in reliability, performance, technology and customer service.
Tommy Nobis Center is a Marietta-based nonprofit that helps individuals with disabilities enter or return to employment.
Nexus®, based in Atlanta, Ga., is an end-to-end plastics recycling business – an operational, commercially scaled, continuous system. The Nexus® plant in Atlanta is the first multi-polymer pyrolysis operation in the US to receive ISCC Plus™ certification. Nexus has developed a highly efficient system built at low capital cost and without a need for catalysts or post-processing, yielding clean, ISCC Plus™ on-specification outputs. Nexus® has converted more than 1 million kilograms and counting of landfill-bound plastics into virgin resins for customers like Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron Phillips Chemical. Investors include Cox Enterprises®, a $21-billion family-owned business committed to global sustainability. The Nexus® process is efficient, environmentally friendly, and encompasses rigorous operational and business standards. The company’s operating philosophy is founded on the principle that for any recycling solution to succeed, it must be profitable, technically proven at scale, and operate as a robust stand-alone business, while creating a meaningful and positive environmental impact.
