Transporting Shell

South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) is a community-based habitat restoration and monitoring program of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Oysters are critical to South Carolina’s ecology, economy, and culture, and oyster shell is the best resource to sustain oyster populations. Recycled shell is placed back onto the shoreline either during large scale plantings or volunteer-based oyster reef builds. The shell provides a hard substrate for oyster larvae to land, cement, and grow on. It is the most efficient way to sustain SC oyster populations.

The SCORE oyster recycling program picks up shell weekly from participating restaurants and oyster roasts in South Carolina to later be used to restore oyster reefs. The shell will either be bagged and planted along the coast for habitat restoration or spread as loose shell to help restore and manage harvestable grounds. Volunteers will assist with delivering empty bins to roasts/restaurants and/or picking up shell bins and transporting them to SCDNR recycling locations. SCDNR will provide a landscape trailer and other needed supplies but will not provide a vehicle. Volunteers are needed in the following counties: Beaufort, Charleston, Greenville, and Lexington.

Volunteer Responsibilities:

-Volunteers will safely assist with picking up filled shell bins from restaurants, delivering empty bins to restaurants, and transporting shell bins to SCDNR recycling locations

-Volunteers will sign up for volunteer shifts one month in advance and regularly communicate with SCDNR SCORE-Oyster Recycling team regarding program needs

-Volunteers will represent SCDNR SCORE-Oyster Recycling with professionalism and provide excellent customer service with participating partners  

Volunteer requirements include:

-Passes SCDMV or Non-SC Driving Record Check

-Participate in mandatory SC Driving Training

-Participate in a mandatory volunteer training

-Has trailering experience and a vehicle that can pull a landscape trailer or has a vehicle that can transport 5-gallon buckets of oyster shells (i.e. SUV or in truck bed)

-Comfortable lifting heavy objects (20-40lbs) -Submit a volunteer timesheet within one week of volunteering