The fun doesn't have to end after the shucking does.  Now restaurants can donate discarded oyster shells to the Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program (VOSRP).

The program of the VCU Rice Center collects shells from festivals, restaurants, oyster roasts and returns them to the bay to create new reefs.  By taking the shells out of the waste stream, it helps promote the restoration of wild native-oysters.

Restaurants receive a sealed container to fill with the shells, on a scheduled basis, these containers are transported to a VOSRP facility, then emptied containers are returned to the restaurant.

Right now, there are public drop-off points at Ellwood Thompson's Market and Tuckahoe Seafood.  Several restaurants in Virginia are already participating including Water Coastal Kitchen, Lemaire, Public Fish and Oyster, and Fossett's at the Kesswick Hotel.

For more information on this program, visit the VCU Rice Center website.