CALIFORNIA, Md. — Oyster lovers across Southern Maryland are turning their shells into a force for good—and they don’t even need to leave town to do it.
Thanks to the Oyster Shell Recycling Program, residents in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties can help restore the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem by simply recycling their used oyster shells. The initiative, led by the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP), provides convenient local drop-off points where shells are collected, cleaned, and reused to grow future generations of oysters.
“This is a community-powered solution to a Bay-wide problem,” said an ORP spokesperson. “Every shell counts, and every resident can make a difference.”
The process is simple:
- Eat your oysters.
- Drop the shells at a designated collection site.
- ORP picks up the shells and lets them “season” outdoors for about a year.
- They’re then sent to hatcheries, where baby oysters—called spat—attach and begin to grow.
- Finally, the shell-and-spat combinations are planted in Chesapeake Bay tributaries, where the oysters help clean the water, create habitats, and support local fisheries.
Drop-off Locations by County:
Calvert County:
- Appeal Landfill, 401 Sweetwater Road, Lusby, MD
- Ball Road Convenience Center, 1045 Ball Road, St. Leonard, MD
- Barstow Convenience Center, 350 Stafford Road, Barstow, MD
- Breezy Point Marina, 5230 Breezy Point Road, Chesapeake Beach, MD
- Huntingtown Convenience Center, 3666 Hunting Creek Road, Huntingtown, MD
- Lusby Convenience Center, 11725 H.G. Trueman Road, Lusby, MD
- Mt. Hope Convenience Center, 96 Pushaw Station Road, Sunderland, MD
- Plum Point Convenience Center, 2801 Plum Point Road, Huntingtown, MD
St. Mary’s County:
- Charlotte Hall Convenience Center, 37766 New Market Turner Road, Charlotte Hall, MD 20622
- Clements Convenience Center, 24547 Horseshoe Road, Clements, MD 20624
- Oakville Convenience Center, 26630 North Sandgates Road, Mechanicsville, MD 20659
- Piney Point Aquaculture Center, Tall Timbers Road, Tall Timbers, MD 20690 – 301-994-0241
- St. Andrew’s Convenience Center, 44825 Old St. Andrews Church Road, California, MD 20619
- Valley Lee Convenience Center, 45350 Happyland Road, Valley Lee, MD 20692
- Ridge Convenience Center, 13939 Point Lookout Road, Ridge, MD 20680
Charles County:
- Breeze Farm Recycling Center, 15950 Cobb Island Road, Cobb Island, MD 20625 – 301-932-9038 or 301-870-5481
- Charles County Landfill Recycling Center, 12305 Billingsley Road, Waldorf, MD 20602 – 301-932-9038 or 301-870-5481
- Gilbert Run Park Recycling Center, 13140 Charles Street, Charlotte Hall, MD 20646 – 301-932-9038 or 301-870-5481
- Pisgah Recycling Center, 6645 Mason Springs Road, Pisgah, MD 20640 – 301-932-3599 or 301-870-2778
For a full and up-to-date list of drop-off locations, visit www.oysterrecovery.org/sra/public-shell-drop-off-locations.
Whether you’re slurping oysters seaside or enjoying them grilled at a backyard cookout, your leftovers could be the key to a cleaner, healthier Chesapeake Bay. In Southern Maryland, saving the Bay might just start with dinner.
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