Dennis DeMatte Jr. of the Cumberland County Improvement Authority discusses the success of New Jersey's greenhouse plastic film recycling program.

Q. How much plastic film has been recycled through the state program?

A. Since the New Jersey program was initiated in 1997, the Cumberland County Improvement Authority has recycled approximately 80 percent of the film collected. In 2002 CCIA recycled 216.8 tons of film from New Jersey growers. That was our best year. Since 1997 the state has collected about 1,119.4 tons of film.

Q. What is the most common reason that plastic film is rejected for the recycling program?

A. We have developed a good working relationship with our growers and the rejection level is very low. The most common problem is other material like wood or plastic bags commingled with the film and excess dirt that makes the product difficult to market.

Q. Is there any fee charged for dropping off plastic film at the recycle sites?

A. The tipping fee is $20 a ton. When the program was implemented in 1997, the collection sites did not assess a tipping fee. The price of recycled film was sufficient enough to cover the cost of collection and baling. In 1998 New Jersey Department of Agriculture received a $25,000 grant to underwrite the cost of the program. The grant has been gradually reduced so that a small tipping fee is being charged to cover the costs associated with collecting and baling the film.

Q. There are two drop-off sites. Are there any plans to add locations?

A. To market baled film there needs to be a tractor-trailer load, which is approximately 46 acres of film. At one point early in the program we had five collection sites, of which only three averaged 1-2 tons of film. Ninety percent of the collected film comes from the Trenton area, so we focus our collection there. We can collect 40-45 percent of the film with just two sites. We have found that New Jersey growers are willing to drive up to one hour to recycle their film, so the two sites are adequate.

Q. What happens to most of the recycled plastic film?

A. Most of the film is sent to export markets in China. I have not had good experiences with markets in the United States. The recycled film is used to manufacture mulch film and construction film.

Q. Since plastic film burns relatively cleanly, has the film ever been used as a fuel source by power plants to generate electricity?

A. LDPE film has a very high Btu value. When New Jersey first started researching ways to redirect ag film from its landfills, one method evaluated was cogeneration facilities. Unfortunately, the facilities in our area advised us that by accepting baled film it would create "hot spots" in the cogeneration burner and it would cause a problem. Another factor that caused us to reconsider this option was the fact that the tipping fees at the cogeneration facilities exceeded the cost of landfilling or recycling the film.

Q. Do you think it would be relatively simple for other states to implement a similar program?

A. I believe it can be done in other states. It's the demand-and-supply formula at work.

Several states have tried to implement a program, but have not been successful. In many cases the tipping fees that they charge the growers are too high. If it costs $45-$50 per ton to collect and bale the film, it's cheaper to put it in a landfill.

Q. Does New Jersey recycle any other type of agricultural- or greenhouse-related plastic products?

A. In 2002 we conducted a pesticide container and nursery pot recycling program at three collection sites in conjunction with New Jersey Department of Agriculture and USAg Recycling. We recycled 17,000 nursery pots, 314 2 1/2-gallon pesticide containers, 101 1-gallon containers, 72 quart containers, 165 5-gallon buckets and 24 55-gallon drums. In addition we recycled a box truck load of plastic crates from a nursery that receives bulbs from Holland. Many of the crates were given to farmers and residents and reused along with many nursery pots. This material amounted to over 20,000 pounds.

The state will conduct two collection programs this year, one was held May 19 and the other is scheduled for Oct. 3 at five collection sites. Visit our Web site at www.ccia-net.com for more information.

Agriculture Container Recycling Council (www.acrecycle.org) in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit organization that promotes and supports the collection and recycling of HDPE crop protection containers in the United States. ACRC is funded by companies that formulate, produce, package and distribute crop protection products. ACRC supports a national network of agricultural container recycling partners. The company that serves New Jersey's geographic region is USAg Recycling Inc.(www.usagrecycling.com) in Waller, Texas.

Q. What could be done to improve the program?

A. Markets always need to be improved and the manufacturers of this material need to take responsibility for what they produce and use the recycled material in their manufacturing process or in other applications. In addition to viable markets, the states need collection sites where the recycling staff is aggressive at making things work.

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© 2003 Branch-Smith Publishing