Plastic from farms across Ireland is destined to be recycled into bin bags sold in Tesco. Old silage bale wrap collected by the Irish Farm Film Producers Group (IFFPG) is processed into piping, refuse sacks and garden furniture.
Plastic from farms across Ireland is destined to be recycled into bin bags sold in Tesco.
Old silage bale wrap collected by the Irish Farm Film Producers Group (IFFPG) is processed into piping, refuse sacks and garden furniture.
Kilmallock Mart in Co Limerick was one of the first collection points for farm plastic this spring, with more than 400 farmers dropping off waste for recycling.
Kilmallock collection in numbers:
419 tonnes of farm film.126 bags of mixed plastics.94 bags of netting.There will be more than 230 bring centres hosted nationwide this year by IFFPG.
Pat O’Sullivan from Farm Waste Recycling Limited told the Irish Farmers Journal that Kilmallock Mart was its busiest collection point for the third season running, with 401 farmers showing up to recycle their farm plastics.
“The collected plastic will go to either Holland or Leinster Environmental for processing. Holland takes the farm plastic and produces four million refuse bags for Tesco every year,” he said.
At each bring centre, farmers can drop off:
Silage plastic, netting and twine.Half-tonne fertiliser/feed bags.Small fertiliser/feed bags, liners of half-tonne bags.Triple-rinsed pesticide cans.Farmers' trailers are weighed in and out on stationary weighbridges and pay a weight-based collection charge.
The plastic is tipped off by the farmers and immediately loaded into ejector trailers being hauled away for recycling.
A plastic recycling levy has been applied to sales of plastic film, with label codes received by farmers from retailers when they purchase farm film.
The code entitles farmers to significantly reduced rates at collections.
With a label code, 500kg of silage plastic costs €20 to recycle, but without the code it costs €85.
In the case of non-silage plastics, farmers are charged €10 per 500kg bag of material, while netting is charged at €5 per bag.
The not-for-profit IFFPG receives the recycling levy.
It recycles approximately 25,000t of farm plastics into plastic piping, refuse sacks and garden furniture.
To find dates and locations for future collection points, click here.
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