Abstract

Recycling agricultural plastic films (e.g., dairy bags, mulch films, and plastic hoop house covers) reduces environmental and health risks caused by open burning and promotes life-cycle stewardship and rural economic development.

Issue

Plastics are being used increasingly across agricultural sectors as substitutes for the longer-lasting materials used previously, because they often cost less and are safer and more efficient. However, as with many throwaway materials, disposing of these plastics raises problems. Most discarded agricultural plastics are either burned on-farm in inefficient open fires that release high levels of polluting emissions or left to accumulate in some corner of the farm. Open burning of such wastes has become the leading source of dioxins and other hazardous air pollutants.

The New York State Assembly has attempted for many years to pass legislation prohibiting open burning of household and agricultural wastes. Their efforts have been stymied by opposition in the New York State Senate and from segments of the agricultural community. While almost no one is satisfied with the current situation, farmers have not had feasible options for off-farm disposal of plastics, particularly the large sheets of low-density polyethylene (#4 LDPE) films that are used as dairy bags, mulches, and greenhouse covers.

Response

Grassroots concerns about air pollution from open burning of household and agricultural wastes inspired a group of Cornell faculty, extension educators, environmental health activists, farmers, solid waste and recycling coordinators, regulators, and entrepreneurs to work together to investigate the feasibility of recycling the plastics used in agriculture. Our collaborative effort has laid the groundwork for a mutually beneficial solution, offering farmers the potential for affordable off-farm disposal while protecting air quality in rural New York.

We have developed methods for quantifying the tons of films used in a given geographic area and identified potential markets for purchasing used dairy and nursery films. We are beginning to work with these markets to overcome the inevitable stumbling blocks and are on the cusp of implementing a pilot collection and recycling program in one or more regions of rural New York. In the process, we have completed two major reports, "Recycling Agricultural Plastics in New York State" and "Agricultural Plastic Film Recycling: Feasibility and Options in the Central Leatherstocking-Upper Catskill Region of New York State." We have advised legislators, agencies, and other decision-makers in New York and beyond, and we have developed a website, http://environmentalrisk.cornell.edu/AgPlastics, that is widely referenced throughout the world.

Impact

The applied research and outreach programs of Cornell's Environmental Risk Analysis Program (ERAP) have become a catalyst for establishing agricultural film recycling in New York State and beyond. While we cannot yet show a decrease in air pollution as a result of our efforts, such an outcome now appears possible. The network of those involved has fostered new channels of communication as well as a better understanding of the cumulative environmental and public health effects of the seemingly private action of burning or dumping agricultural plastics. Beyond the likely environmental health benefits, plastic film recycling may have economic benefits as well, particularly if a manufacturer in New York State can be persuaded to use the films in the production of new plastic products.

Funding Sources

• State or Municipal (e.g., NYSDAM)
• Federal Formula Funds - Extension (e.g., Smith Lever, RREA)

Collaborators

• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Otsego County
• Otsego County Conservaton Association (OCCA)
• Otsego County Solid Waste/Recycling Agency
• CCE Regional Dairy Team Specialists
• Farm Services Agency
• New York Center on Agricultural Medicine and Health
• NYS Senator James Seward
• NYS Legislative Commission on Solid Waste Management
• NYS Legislative Commission on Toxic Substances
• NYS Rural Resources Commission
• Otsego County Planning Office, GIS Coordinator
• MOSA Solid Waste Authority
• NY Farm Bureau

Key Personnel

• Lois Levitan, PhD, Program Leader, Environmental Risk Analysis Program (ERAP)
• Department of Communication, Cornell University
• David G. Cox, Extension Educator/Agriculture Development Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Otsego County
• Martha B. Clarvoe, Special Projects Manager, Otsego County Conservation Association