Recycling Agricultural Film Plastic: Best Management Practices
Resources:
Recycling Agricultural Plastics: What have we learned?[.pdf] – This in-depth presentation is directed primarily at recycling educators and organizers, solid waste and recycling businesses and agencies, plastics processors and manufacturers who are considering becoming involved (or are currently involved) with collecting or processing agricultural plastics for recycling. Topics include: how to handle plastics on the farm to keep them in shape to recycle, equipment and approaches to compacting plastics for transport, criteria to use in selecting locations to consolidate and store baled plastic, cultivating and sharing information about processing markets, and applicability of models for extended producer responsibility (EPR). Download .pptx.
Recycling agricultural plastic is growing industry – Plastic has become ever present in our culture and dealing with the nonbiodegradable material when we’re done with it has become a challenge. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 32 million tons of plastic waste were generated in the United States in 2012. And it’s a growing problem for those in the agricultural industry. From Green Source DFW.
Agricultural Plastics: What are they? Why are they ‘hard stuff’? Can the challenges be surmounted? – Agricultural plastics have been difficult to recycle for numerous reasons. In addition, plastic film types are increasingly complex in order to meet specific technical criteria. This presentation outlines the challenges associated with recycling agricultural plastics and highlights the new equipment and emerging markets that have the capability of processing even the most difficult to recycle agricultural films.
