Our Save Your Shucks Shell Recycling Program
From Restaurants to Reefs
Our mission is to restore the native Olympia oyster population through the power of RECYCLED oyster shells!
Through the Save Your Shucks program, Wild Oyster Project partners with San Francisco Bay Area restaurants to recycle oyster shells and rebuild vital oyster reefs—now at just 1% of historic levels. Although baby oysters are already free-swimming in the Bay, they need oyster shells to settle on and grow in order to thrive. That’s why they instinctually seek them out in the water. That’s how oyster reefs grow over time. By returning shells to the water, we create the foundation needed to restore the Bay’s delicate ecological balance.
Oysters are a keystone species and essential to a healthy marine ecosystem. These natural ecosystem engineers filter water, enhance biodiversity, and protect shorelines from erosion.
Oysters are not only critical for marine health, but they are also one of the most sustainable seafood choices. Oyster farms actively benefit the environment by filtering water and supporting marine biodiversity.
Let’s eat oysters to save the oysters!
One of our Save Your Shucks partners, The Cook and Her Farmer, located at the historic Swan’s Market in Oakland.
Join our Save Your Shucks family today!
How the Save Your Shucks Partnership Works
Restaurants can join the Save Your Shucks program in one of two ways:
Volunteer Pickups
Our dedicated volunteers will collect your oyster shells on a weekly or bi-monthly basis, depending on the volume at your location. We’ll provide the 5-gallon buckets needed for shell storage, with a limit of ten buckets per month for recycling. After collection, the shells will be delivered to one of our shell-curing sites at Bay Natives Nursery or the REAP Climate Center. This ensures that the shells are thoroughly cleaned of invasive species and bacteria before being used in oyster restoration projects throughout the San Francisco Bay.Royal Hawaiian Seafood (RHS) Pick Ups
If you’re a regular customer of Royal Hawaiian Seafood and meet their minimum order requirements, you can participate in the program through them. RHS will collect your oyster shells each time they deliver to your restaurant, making it a seamless, order-based process. For more specific details, please call RHS directly at (415) 824-1177.
Getting Started is Easy:
Either Wild Oyster Project or RHS will provide you with the buckets for shell storage.
Perks for Our Partners:
As a Save Your Shucks partner, we’ll feature your restaurant’s logo on our website and promote your involvement on social media, at community events, and through other media outlets. We also offer promotional materials and are happy to collaborate on events.
Join us today! This is a great opportunity to showcase your restaurant’s commitment to sustainability. By recycling oyster shells, you’re contributing to vital restoration projects while promoting oysters as one of the most sustainable fisheries. Sign up now and make a difference!
Contact us below
Interested in shell recycling for your restaurant? Fill out the form below and someone will be in touch with you soon!
Our Save Your Shucks Partners
A huge thanks to our family of restaurants and a special thanks to Royal Hawaiian Seafood for their incredible support!
