Please recycle ONLY oyster, mussel, clam and scallop shells in the bins.
Your shells will be returned to the water. Let's make sure trash does not go with them!
Pausing pick-up:
If your restaurant needs to pause pick-up (closure, oysters off the menu temporarily, etc.), please email oysters@crcl.org or call Fiona at 216-906-8957.
Once you are ready to resume pick-up, let us know!
Noticed a change on the title page?
We will now be referencing data by CALENDAR year, not FISCAL year.
Upcoming reef build
Mark your calendar!
Volunteer with CRCL to build our eighth recycled oyster shell reef this fall!
Volunteer Event Dates: October 23-25 November 6-8
We are excited to build a 200-ton recycled shell living shoreline at Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium in Chauvin in partnership with the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi Chitimacha Choctaw.
Thank you to Restore America’s Estuaries and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for supporting this project.
Provide feedback on the oyster recycling tax credit
We are seeking feedback from restaurants on how the new oyster shell recycling tax credit worked out this past tax season.
We ask that one individual from each location fill out the linked survey.
The survey shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes to complete
Survey Link (also sent via email): https://forms.gle/jiEnmHwuFa7k y9gW9
Bin Policies
Missing Bins:
A fee of $62 per bin will be charged for bins that are misplaced or unaccounted for. Restaurants are responsible for keeping track of bins on their property and to notify our team if bins are misplaced.
Broken or Damaged Bins:
R&R Recycling takes responsibility for replacing broken bins free-of-charge
About the tax credit
As of January 1, 2024, restaurants participating in CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program are eligible to receive a tax credit of $1 for every 50 pounds of shell (up to $2,000 annually) for all shell recycled in a calendar year
Please visit CRCL's website to read more about Act 404 of the 2023 regular legislative session: A Tax Credit For Restaurants Recycling Oyster Shells For Beneficial Use in Louisiana.
H I G H L I G H T S
CRCL'S OYSTER SHELL RECYCLING PROGRAM
STATE OF THE COAST
Thank you to everyone who made State of the Coast 2025 a success from our outstanding presenters and speakers to our generous sponsors, exhibitors and partners! With over 1,300 attendees, this year’s conference was our largest to date. We appreciate everyone who joined us this year and look forward to seeing y’all in 2027!
OYSTER MAP PLACEMATS
Looking for new ways to promote the oysters you serve? We now offer free paper placemats that share some fast facts on oyster shell recycling and depict a map of the different harvesting zones along coastal Louisiana. Whether they are placed on tables, bars, host stands or under a tray of oysters, this is a unique way to catch a customer’s attention. Email oysters@crcl.org to request some for your restaurant.
SHELLS FOR RESEARCH
Scientists in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, began a new study in mid-June, placing 125 million oyster larvae directly onto oyster shell to accelerate the i f f i h di i
“LOUISIANA COASTAL COOKING”
Our new address is... 25 Walnut Street, Suite 201, New Orleans, LA 70118-4881
We have left our longtime home in Mid-City New Orleans for The Rigs, a new office at a scenic spot on the batture just upriver from Audubon Park. We are excited to be right on the Mississippi River, which is so important to our coast and our work.
SHELL GRANT
Know of a restaurant interested in joining our program?
For restaurants that have never participated in CRCL’s OSRP before, we have grant funding available to sponsor a restaurant’s oyster shell recycling for TWO YEARS. This grant from Shell will cover costs for small businesses and/or minority-owned restaurants. Please refer those that qualify to our team and have them email oysters@crcl.org to register and learn more.
Chefs Brigade is organizing its second annual city-wide OysterNight on September 18 to celebrate the New Orleans restaurant industry, our food service workers, Louisiana seafood and the men and women of our Louisiana oyster fisheries, as well as to replenish the OSRP’s oyster shell stockpile used in constructing reefs.
Please visit https://www.chefsbrigade.org/oyster-night for more information.
In collaboration with Audubon GULF, CRCL and Eat Local, the Louisiana Seafood Passport celebrates restaurants that serve and participate in the sustainable seafood industry.
LOUISIANA SEAFOOD PASSPORT
How it works:
1. Order seafood from at least five participating restaurants
2 Submit receipts at laseafoodies.com to receive a free tote bag!
Check out laseafoodies.com and @laseafoodies for more info!
We hope to recycle as many shells from the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas as we can. Have an event coming up and want shell recycling services? Reach out to reserve bins and schedule a pick-up from one of our contractors for your event.
We want to promote it! Let us know about your happy hour specials and any other special events or promotions, and we will share them on CRCL’s social media.
Email oysters@crcl.org if you’re interested in any of these opportunities.
Since 2014, CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program has partnered with New Orleans and Baton Rouge area restaurants and our legion of volunteers to keep oyster shells out of landfills and slow coastal land loss.
RecycledOysterShell ReefLocations
Oyster shells are used to build reefs that protect Louisiana’s vanishing coastline. Together, we’ve recycled close to 16 million pounds of shell and protected over 8,600 feet of shoreline on the coast.
Pointe-au-Chien Community Reefs
Coming this Fall: Grand Caillou/Dulac Community Reef at LUMCON
