Irish farmers are increasingly embracing the recycling of fertiliser plastics waste, with a 20% increase in the number of bags of fertiliser plastics collected at bring-centres last year. Irish Farm Film Producers Group (IFFPG), which is the national farm plastics recycling scheme, collects fertiliser plastics through its sister company Farm Plastics Recycling which is a commercial entity.

In 2023, a total of 20,000 half tonne sized bags of fertiliser plastics was collected at 235 jointly run nationwide bring-centres. Irish farmers have been leading the way for the last two decades in Europe when it comes to wrap and pit cover recycling (40,000 tonnes recycled and approximately 90% recycling rate achieved in 2023). This is the equivalent of plastic from 20 million bales of silage.

More recently impressive progress has been made on the fertiliser plastics recycling front.

Over the last five years there has been a doubling in the volume of fertiliser plastics collected for recycling to the current level of approximately 1,000 tonnes per annum. The increase can be mainly attributed to the low cost and convenience of the service to farmers, as well as a growing waste management awareness among farmers. Farmers are currently charged at the rate of €10 per half tonne sized bag delivered to bring-centres, regardless of the weight of waste in the bag.

As the average farmer generates in the region of one to two bags of fertiliser plastics per annum, from a cost point of view bring-centres represent an attractive option. In addition, bring-centres are convenient in that they are spread evenly throughout the country, with the average farmer travelling 9km to his/her local bring-centre.

There has been a marked improvement in the quality of fertiliser plastics delivered by farmers to bring-centres in recent years, which is essential to the success of the recycling process. Fertiliser plastics come in two different polymer types, each of which must be collected separately.

In the case of bulk fertiliser bags (comprised of both polymers), the liner must be removed by the farmer and can be presented at the bring-centre together with small fertiliser bags (both LDPE polymers). The outer parts of bulk fertiliser bags (PP polymer) must be brought in separately in another bag to the bring-centre.

– David Wall