Product stewardship program takes the wrap

Farmers benefit from plastic recycling solution

Plasback is a product stewardship program that is run by Tapex, a supplier of fodder conservation plastics. The program currently recycles waste silage wrap, pit covers, grain tubes and twine for farmers. It works with partner recyclers in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney that reprocess the plastic waste and give it a second use as plastic pellets which can be remoulded into plywood sheets called Tuffboard and Tuffdeck.

Silage bale wrap and silage pit covers have long presented a disposal problem for farmers and, in the past, have mainly gone to council landfill sites. These products are made from high-quality linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) plastic which does not break down when buried, is unsightly and presents a hazard to stock.

Plasback makes disposal of this material easier for farmers. The program features a specific bin and liner arrangement that Ed George, manager of Tapex’s Environmental Solutions Division, says has some distinct advantages.

“The bin and liner system ensures a segregated waste stream. Only silage wrap can go in the liner and, as the liner is clear, any foreign matter and contamination can be easily detected. The liner is itself a linear low density polyethylene, so it can be baled and reprocessed as part of the waste.”

Plasback bins and liners are inexpensive and widely available from rural supply stores such as Murray Goulburn Co-operative and Australian Independent Rural Retailers (AIRR) which are sponsors of the program.

”A box of liners will recycle over half a tonne of silage wrap, which is nearly two years’ usage on the average dairy farm,” Ed George added.

The program is expanding into collecting other plastics on farms and is now operating in three states with plans to go national. Wilson Stockfeeds in Tocumwal NSW is one of the first hay exporters to join the Plasback product stewardship scheme which is providing an environmentally sound disposal solution of up to 50 tonne of twine each year. Each maxi liner will hold up to 300 kg of baling twine. The bin and liner sits in the de-twining area, the liners are swapped out when full (a two-minute job) and then stacked up awaiting pick up by Plasback. No baling of the twine or skip bin rental is required.

The Tuffboard material produced from the waste is suitable for lining cattle races, cow sheds and calf pens. Plasback collection bins are a good example of Tuffboard’s versatility - they are also made from the product.