TACKLE LOOP

What to do with old, unwanted, and broken fishing gear? OzFish is answering this important question by providing the resources and knowledge to support rec fishers to recycle and reuse old gear.

Removing and reducing the volume of waste and plastic that may otherwise end up in landfill or Australia’s waterways is an important step in ensuring we are providing healthy habitat for native fish.

We want your old gear, as well as any discarded gear you might find while out fishing.

Be it fishing line, line spools, lures, sinkers or floats, get it to us and we’ll make sure it doesn’t end up in landfill or polluting our waterways. Not only that, working with our partners we’ll make sure recyclable items get put to use as something new. Reusable items will be repaired and renewed for use by fishing-related charities.

How do I get old or discarded gear to you?

We’re looking to recycle and reuse old fishing line, line spools, lures, sinkers or floats. All you need to do is post it to us. We’ll even pay the postage to help make sure it reaches us and is recycled effectively.

We’ve setup a ‘Reply paid’ service with Australia Post, so all you have to do is pop it into an appropriate envelope or package and send it to us at:

OzFish Unlimited
TackleLoop
Reply Paid 91075
Ballina NSW
2478

We’ll take it from there and you can rest easy, knowing you’ve done your bit to help make rec fishing sustainable and our waterways healthy and tidy.

I’m an OzFish member and I would love to help to sort and repair tackle items.

Why is unwanted fishing gear a problem?

Research has estimated that three times as much rubbish is dumped into the world’s oceans annually as the weight of fish caught (Farris and Hart, 1995). We want to ensure that recreational fishing gear isn’t contributing to that shocking statistic.

We want to tackle waste before it becomes a problem, while also contributing to a circular economy by extending a product’s life or turning its materials into something new. Less waste means better habitat, and ultimately better fishing

So, if you have a bit of old gear lying around, or you’ve retrieved some on your latest fishing trip or clean up event. Get it in the post to us and we’ll make sure it gets recycled and becomes useful again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Monofilament fishing line
Plastic fishing line spools
Hooks
Sinkers
Swivels
Lures
Floats
Hard clear plastic tackle packaging
Braided line

No, we want to remove and reuse as many of these unwanted and discarded items as possible. Please put any you have in the post and send them to us.

No, we cover the cost through Australia Post using the Return Paid service.

Choose appropriate packaging for the items. Soft waste can go in a parcel bag; if there are any sharp parts, ensure they are wrapped safely and within Australia Post guidance. Heavier items and packages with a number of items may need to go in a heavy-duty parcel bag or box. Please put a label with the following address on any envelopes or parcels you send us:

OzFish Unlimited
TackleLoop
Reply Paid 91075
Ballina NSW
2478

We are currently developing a process where you will be able to drop off old gear at select locations. We will update this page once that process is in place.

We are working with our project partners to determine the most suitable products to be created from the items we receive. We are committed to these being products that are viable and needed, ensuring they are sustainable and not simply creating more waste.

We are committed to the restoration and conservation of healthy habitat in Australia’s waterways, and reducing the volume of discarded waste that ends up in them is a key component of that. All of the items you send us will be recycled responsibly and none will end up in landfill.

This is our long-term goal. Once we determine what will be made, we will work with our project partners to make these items available.

Yes, we’d love to hear your idea! Please get in touch via email info@ozfish.org.au and include your name and idea, and be sure to include ‘TackleLoop’ in the subject line.

Yes, we’re always open to working with like-minded organisations to restore healthy habitats. Please get in touch via email info@ozfish.org.au with your information, and be sure to include ‘TackleLoop’ in the subject line.