Recycling Agricultural Plastics Project (RAPP)Life-Cycle Stewardship of Agricultural Plastics

http://environmentalrisk.cornell.edu/AgPlastics

Major funding for RAPP is currently from the NYS Environmental Protection Fun administered by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC). Funding has also come from the NY Farm Viability Institute, Cornell Cooperative Extension Administration, US EPA Region II, USDA Rural Development, and Cornell Department of Communication, with invaluable in-kind contributions from RAPP partners.

Chenango County Farms• over 70 dairy farms • average plastic wrap weighs 3 - 3.5 lbs.• Smaller farms produce > 1,000 lbs. agricultural

plastics/year

Note: larger farms using more plastic would produce more

What falls under the agricultural plastics umbrella?

• bale wrap• silage and grain

bags• bunker silo

covers• bale netting• Polytwine• feed and pellet

bags• irrigation tubing• drip tape• maple tubing

• green and hoophouse covers

• nursery pots and seedling trays

• mulch and fumigation films

• Tarps• Netting• rigid containers• bee hive frames

Why is Ag Plastics Recycling Different?

Most plastics from farms are dirty, bulky, dispersed across a rural landscape and may have residues

Photos: Lois Levitan, RAPP

What is the Recycling

Agricultural Plastics Project (RAPP)?

RAPP is a program based at Cornell University which works with local CCE educators to aid in the proper recycling of agricultural plastics

What is the Recycling Agricultural Plastics Project (RAPP)?

Since 2009, RAPP has coordinated the collection of nearly 1 million pounds of used plastic that would otherwise be sent to landfills, burned in open fires on farms or left behind in the fields.

Photo from:The Post Standard

What is the Recycling Agricultural Plastics Project (RAPP)?

RAPP currently collaborates with numerous agencies, organizations, businesses and farmers across NY to recycle plastics into sidewalk pavers, plastic lumber, oil and other products!

Baleboard®

North Brook Farms, Inc

How NYS Ag Plastics Recycling Works

• RAPP, CCE, SWCD, waste managements and other recycling agencies and businesses work together to help spread the recycling message, teach best management practices and carry out the collection of the plastic

• With farm staff assisting with loading the baler and RAPP operating it, 1000 pounds of film can be compacted into a bale in about 30 minuets.

• Finished bales are accumulated locally and then move to market

Ag Plastics Recycling with RAPP

What RAPP DoesOn-farm education: preparing plastic for recycling, incorporating recycling into farm routine, operating compaction equipment

Cultivate market options appropriate for agricultural plastics feedstock

Encourage behavior change: STOP on-farm disposal START recycling

Develop infrastructure:Streamline logistics of moving from farms to new end products.

Extended producer: responsibility among agricultural plastic manufacturers & distributors

Levitan, Lois, Cornell University 2012

On the Farm Education• Preparing plastic for

recycling (BMP)• Incorporating

recycling into the farm routine – Lets make this more

of a habit than a hassle

• Operate compaction equipment

Promote Recycling(end on-farm disposal)

• Open burning restrictions strong motivator to recycle– Almost impossible to enforce on 2 million farms across

the US• A change in ‘Cultural climate’

– Recycling is less hassle and a lower cost than alternatives

• Seeing is believing– People what to know where the plastic goes and what it

becomes

BMPKeep plastic dry and shake out

any pebbles/clumps

Roll or fold the plastic into 3’x 3’ pillows or bundles

Store the plastic off the ground, out of mud, gravel and grit

Separate different types of plastic by color and type

What I Have been asked to do as a RAPP educator

• Act as an outreach to farms that wish to participate and find farms that produce ag plastics throughout the county

• Educate individual farms about the BMPs and what happens to the recycled plastics and develop a BMP for their individual farm

Photo courtesy of Cornell RAPP

What I Have been asked to do as a RAPP educator

• Find the location and demographics of farming in Chenango and Broome Counties–Type of agriculture,

location, amount of plastic used

What I Have been asked to do as a RAPP educator

• Identify events where a RAPP display would be appropriate and effective

• Identify and post RAPP publicity materials

• Identify and outreach to our target audience through local news

Photo courtesy of Cornell RAPP

What I Have been asked to do as a RAPP educator

• identify good locations for storage of finished bales– places where farmers can easily bring the bales

but where dumping of junk plastic would be difficult.

How you can help• Talk about the program to people you know

and meet• Recruit participants • Distribute update fliers• Make connections

What you need to know• RAPP offers an alternative• RAPP can help recycle agricultural plastics• Each farm needs its own BMP to be successful• Bigfoot Baler in action

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/07/recycling_of_agricultural_plas.html

Your Local Contact

Emily Jane AndersonChenango County CCE 99 North Broad Street

Norwich, NY 13815

607-334-5841 ex. 17eja74@cornell.edu