Silage Plastic Recycling
Starting in 2022, Dairy Australia led a two-year project to support the industry’s target of recycling 100% of silage wrap in the dairy industry by 2030.
With support from the Commonwealth Government’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund, Dairy Australia and industry stakeholders evaluated different collection and recycling pathways for supporting farmers to dispose of silage plastic responsibly - preventing it from ending up in landfill, being burned or buried.
A key stage of the project was a trial in Western Victoria that saw 90 farmers from dairy and other animal industries participate from April 2022 to March 2023. Through running the trial, and the efforts of local farmers to ensure that the silage plastic was ‘recycle ready’, over 70 tonnes of silage plastic diverted from landfill, allowing it to be recovered and recycled.
The trial outcomes continue to be used by the industry to develop recommendations for a final scheme design which has strong input from farmers and is practical, sustainable and commercially feasible.
A key learning of the project has been that there is a current lack of recycling capacity for silage plastic across the country. The long distances between dairy regions means that, until further recycling capacity comes online, silage plastic recycling is only plausible in Victoria where the single recycling facility is located. In the absence of a national collection program run by the producers of silage plastic, near term recycling efforts will require the support of local councils or community groups.
Dairy Australia and other industry groups like Meat & Livestock Australia continue to use the learnings from this project to work with private industry, local councils, and others in the plastic waste value chain to develop a long-term solution for the responsible disposal of silage plastic wraps and covers on farms.
How the trial worked
Farmers participating in the silage plastic recycling trial used recycling bins and special plastic liners or bulk bags for storing their used silage plastic in.
Once net wrap (which can’t be recycled) had been separated from the bale wrap and farmers had shaken off any large solids, the plastic silage wrap was stored in the lined bin. Once the bin was full, the liners were tied off and farmers could drop off the plastic at a local collection centre (for free) or contact the collection trial coordinator to arrange on-farm pick up (paying a small fee for this service). The plastic was then taken to a recycling centre where it was be processed and turned into pellets which could be used to make a wide range of recycled plastic products.
Register interest
While there is not currently a silage plastic collection and recycling program operating in Australia, the industry continues to work on developing a sustainable solution. It is likely that collection programs may be developed region by region based on available recycling pathways and council/community coordination of services.
You can register here to participate in silage plastic recycling when the service reaches your area.
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National
Ian Olmstead
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