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Environmental concerns over the farm practice of burning or burying thousands of cubic metres of used plastic silage wrap each year are at the centre of a proposed wrap collection and recycling service for farmers.
If the initiative takes off, plastic silage wrap will be stored on-farm in bins or bales before being taken away for reprocessing into plastic granules, which are turned back into plastic wrap-holding containers.
For many years, plastic silage wrap from farms has been considered waste.
It attracts volume charges for rubbish when it's dumped in bulk at local transfer stations or landfills, so farmers simply burn it or dig holes to "land fill" it on their own farms.
Now they're about to be given another option which would remove silage wrap from the waste stream, thereby reducing and minimising farm waste.
Leading a regionwide Northland initiative to start the service is the Kaitaia-based Community Business and Environment Centre.
It has several well-established, environmentally friendly business projects already in place in local Northland communities.
Its latest venture aims to provide a "regional wrap" collection and recycling service to dairy and drystock farmers in the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara districts.
The project, or campaign, as the centre is calling it, addresses the problem of a lack of recovery services for recyclable farm waste products.
Partners in the campaign include the Northland Regional Council, which will help the centre to market the service, Fonterra, which will support its promotion and co-ordination, Christchurch silage wrap manufacturer Agpac and Auckland company Replas, a plastic manufacturer specialising in making plastic products from used consumer plastics.
Replas has worked with Agpac trialling the recovery and processing of silage wrap and, after developing the technology involved, Replas can now produce commercial products using recycled silage wrap.
The two companies have already done wrap collections in the Canterbury area to set up procedures for its handling and reprocessing.
Collection trials of wrap are now being carried out in areas of Waikato and Taranaki.
Lanice Dromgool, the Community Business and Environment Centre Eco Solutions manager, says advertising begins at the end of this month inviting Northland farmers to join up.
The campaign's first year is likely to be seen more as a trial, with a hoped-for bigger farming uptake in the second and subsequent years.
Storage bins and liners are due in the north shortly.
Farmers of New Zealand Northland president Ian Walker, who is also a regional councillor, says if the campaign gets its pricing and service right there could be a solid take-up by farmers.
"There hasn't been any kind of service like this to the farming community. I'm sure some farmers will welcome it but I'm not sure whether it'll be an all-encompassing thing that all farmers will do."
He's concerned about the scheme's costs. "We've got compliance costs coming out of our ears at present and my concern is that something like this could, over time, become compulsory and the cost structure would go up.
"If we're looking at something that all farmers can use, there should be some sort of subsidy on it," Mr Walker said.
"We don't need extra costs but from an environmental point of view, this service is probably a public benefit."
Collection service to clean up the farm
What's the problem?
Silage plastic is used in significant volumes on farms - probably two or three cubic metres a year from about 300 feed bales on an average property - and it is not biodegradable.
What's the solution?
Kaitaia-based Community Business and Environment Centre is planning collections for the entire Northland region, with collection services centred on Kaitaia and Whangarei.
The centre can use a Whangarei facility, and its own in Kaitaia, to process collected wrap into high-density bales for transporting to reprocessing plants.
What will it cost?
The service will cost farmers $480 for an Agpac storage bin and lid, and $10 for each bin liner. Plus GST.
Each liner is used as it is recycled with the silage wrap.
Collection of full bins will cost $40 from the farm gate or $20 if dropped at the Kaitaia or Whangarei transfer stations.
Can I do it myself?
Farmers can make their own storage bin as long as it's strong, has a lid and is of the same size and dimensions as the Agpac bin.
Wrap can be placed in the storage bin liner straight after stock feeding. It needs to be kept away from weather and other farm material to stop further contamination before collection and recycling. The bin can store up to 150 silage wraps.
How often will wraps be collected?
It's expected there will be up to two bin collections a year but the wrap can be taken to selected transfer stations.
Farmers can call an 0800 number to arrange a date and time for trucks to pick up the wrap or to be advised where it can be taken. An alternative on-farm wrap storage option is for Fonterra to supply a 1.5cu m fage (bale).
