Silage wrap recycling programme growing

Northland’s farmers are being urged to do their bit to recycle more of the estimated 400-plus tonnes of non-biodegradable silage wrap used in the region annually.

A programme to recycle silage wrap was introduced to Northland in 2007 and currently collects about 28 tonnes annually – roughly seven percent of the total wrap used.

Beau Mallett, Manager of Whangarei’s CBEC Eco Solutions, says while that is an obvious improvement on the pre-collection days of just two years ago, too much wrap is still being left behind on the region’s farms – where it poses an environmental risk – or simply being dumped in landfills.

CBEC Eco Solutions co-ordinates the Northland Silage Wrap Recycling Programme and Mr Mallett says the programme is designed to offer a cost-effective, environmental solution to the problem. About 60 Northland farmers are currently signed up to the programme throughout the region.

“Until the recycling programme started, the only ways of disposing of used wrap was burning or burial – both of which have potentially quite serious implications for the environment and for human and stock health – or taking used wrap to a refuse transfer station.”

The recycling programme is a joint project between a number of parties including the Northland Regional Council, community-based environmental group CBEC Eco Solutions, wrap supplier Agpac, Auckland-based plastic recycling company Replas and dairy giant Fonterra.

The next collection – due to start mid-July – will collect bagged wrap from around the region, including a new drop-off site in Kaipara.

Farmers registered with the scheme will be notified by mail this month (subs: June) of the next on-farm collection times. Alternatively, farmers can drop off bagged wrap at the following locations:

Kaitaia Transfer Station
Whangarei ReSort Centre (Paper Reclaim)
J DeBoer Haulage Ltd, Awakino Point East Rd, Dargaville


Craig Brown, Chairman of the Northland Regional Council’s Environmental Management Committee – and a former dairy farmer – says plastic silage wrap is definitely a convenient way to store, transport and feed out silage.

“However, finding an appropriate, environmentally-friendly way to dispose of the many tonnes of left over wrap has been an ongoing problem.”

“In the past, used bale wrap has been hard to recover and recycle, with major issues being the high levels of dirt and other material that ends up contaminating it and the difficulty of collecting bulky material from spread-out rural areas,“ he says.

The recycling system relies on keeping the silage wrap clean by depositing it in a suitable weatherproof bin immediately after use.

Farmers can either buy a purpose-made bin for $530 (+GST) or make their own (a wool sack with a suitable frame and cover is an alternative) but either option must also include a recyclable liner.

The system allows farmers to recycle a range of plastics including silage wrap, silage pit/bunker covers, plastic packaging and woven polypropylene feed and fertiliser bags. Only net-wrap products and baling twine can not be recycled.

The on-farm collection service costs $40 per 1.5 cubic metres or $20 per 1.5 cubic metres if dropped at designated collection points, a cost of around 25 cents per wrap. When using the bin it is possible to get between 50 and 100 wraps into each liner, depending on the types of bales used.

More information on the scheme is available from 0800 REWRAP (0800) 739 727 or Eco Solutions (09) 438 8710, or go to: www.nrc.govt.nz/silagewrap