Burrhead,

I don't know for sure but I would guess that some CA's that are not duck parks require it because some waterfowl and/or other wildlife could eat the toxic lead shot. This would be more of a question for the MDC.

Reclaiming shot and reclaiming shot wads for recycling are two different subjects. I would guess that the shot could be melted down and re-used with minimal or no cleaning.

The shot wads on the other hand would have to be cleaned of powder burns (actual burned plastic) and residue before they could be manufactured into anything. Which is a pretty expensive process. In other words it costs more money to recycle them than it does to throw them away.