Convenient drop-off locations for monofilament line are hard to come by. If not diverted, mono litter can pollute public spaces and entangle wildlife. Fortunately, preventing it from becoming a problem only takes a handy angler.
This DIY line recycling bin can be built entirely with parts from your local hardware store. The design has been installed across the Great Lakes region by Pollution Probe, in collaboration with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. Once full, simply bring the collected line to your local tackle shop’s fishing line recycling bin.
Mount it at the cottage, in the garage, or at your local boat launch or rod club.
• 1 foot length 1/16" galvanized aircraft cable
• Aircraft cable crimp sleeves
• Galvanized plumber’s strapping or gear clamps
• Wooden post/T-post/ U-post (optional for mounting)
• Power drill with 1/8" drill bit
• Hacksaw
• PVC primer and cement
• 1-2 feet length of pipe
• 90-degree elbow
• threaded cleanout
• threaded cleanout plug
• sewer floor grate
1. Cut a two-foot segment of pipe from the spigot (narrow) end of the PVC piping. Smooth the rim with sandpaper.
2. Cut out the centre segments of the grate to create an opening for inserting the waste fishing line. Smooth the cut with sandpaper.
3. In a ventilated area, use the PVC primer and cement to cure the grate to the 90-degree elbow.
4. Once dry, prime and cement the PVC elbow/grate to one end of the piping and the cleanout adapter to the other.
5. With the power drill, drill a hole through the centre of the cleanout plug and just above the cleanout adapter junction on your PVC piping.
6. Thread one end of aircraft cable through a crimping sleeve, looping a few centimetres back into the sleeve. Crimp tight with pliers to cap off the end.
7. Pull the uncapped end of aircraft cable through the drill holes on the cleanout plug and the PVC pipe. Cap off the exposed cable with another crimp sleeve to prevent the plug from falling off the unit.
8. Strap your line recycling bin to a post with plumber’s strapping or gear clamps just below the elbow and above the cleanout adapter.
Always wear protective gloves while emptying the device. There’s risk of it containing tackle, especially if placed in a public space. Non-mono line should be disposed of as waste alongside any tackle you collect.
Be sure to ask property owners (i.e. your municipality) for permission before setting it up somewhere other than your property.
[Brendan Gray was the 2025 BrokerLink Conservation Intern at the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.]
Originally published in the Ontario Out of Doors Fishing Annual 2026
