From marsh to meal and back again, the life cycle of an oyster shell offers lasting environmental benefits.

| WATCH 2026 MWR DEPLOYMENT VIDEO HERE |

Horry County Stormwater is working to maximize this natural resource by expanding oyster shell recycling efforts, helping return discarded shells to the very waters where they began.

That mission is at the heart of the Horry County Stormwater Shell Recycling Program. The pilot program is being rolled out to local businesses to help capture oyster shells before they become trash.

“We have been working diligently to put together a program where we're going to be able to capture the oyster shell from restaurants,” explained Brent Carey, Horry County Watershed Planner. “It’s a reef to table to reef restoration project.”

This is the next step in Horry County’s commitment to collect oyster shells for future manufactured wire reefs (MWRs) to place in strategic locations along our coastline.

There are several environmental benefits to these MWRs including water filtration. One adult oyster can filter two and a half gallons of water in just one hour, removing unwanted nutrients from the water. Other benefits include habitat creation, erosion control and ecosystem support.

Horry County’s MWR started taking shape in the Murrells Inlet marsh in the Garden City area in 2024 when the first 200 baskets were placed along Atlantic Avenue. In 2025, another 200 baskets were placed in Main Creek off Cypress Avenue.

On April 29, 2026, the third installment of 70 baskets was deployed just between the previous locations near the Sanford D. Cox Sr. Community Park off Pine Avenue.

These MWRs are assembled and distributed through a collaborative effort between Stormwater crews, students from Loris High School Future Farmers of America (FFA), and the South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement Program (SCORE), a program of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

“This is very important for our students to be involved in. I teach the natural resource pathway. So, our students learn about this in class. And now they can actually get to see it hands on and really see it evolve and develop and placed into the waters that they swim in,” said Clair Hammonds, a FFA advisor and agricultural education teacher at Loris High School.

This collaborative sustainability effort is made possible through oyster shell recycling. As Horry County Stormwater’s current shell supply begins to dwindle, a new initiative is emerging.

“It is my hope to be able to speak to some restaurants in the middle of May and start the Oyster Shell Recycling pilot program. We really want to formulate the recycling in those restaurants to their existing workflow to take a pain free approach to encourage restaurants to participate,” said Carey.

Restaurants interested in learning more about the Oyster Shell Recycling Program can click here to fill out an interest form. From there, a Horry County Stormwater team member will reach out with additional details.

For individuals looking to recycle oyster shells, you can visit the SCDNR website here to find a drop off location convenient for you.  

The SCORE program is a community-based oyster restoration program that’s always looking for volunteers. If you’re interested in serving alongside them, click here to learn more.