A state grant will enable a four-month pilot agricultural film recycling program in the Northeast.
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will develop a statewide program to recycle LDPE film used as greenhouse-covering plastic. This program will collect film from May through September 2020.
The collection program, which was made possible through a nearly $39,000 grant from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, is billed as a way to cut down on the more than 60,000 pounds of greenhouse plastic film waste generated in Maine each year.
“The program’s goal is to collect at least one-third of Maine’s annual waste greenhouse plastic, and partner with an end-user who can convert the collected plastic into resin feedstock used in the manufacture of new plastic products,” the University of Maine said in a release.
Agricultural film users will be asked to voluntarily participate in the program, which will provide free collection for their material.
Last year, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association published multiple articles about the state’s agricultural film waste generation. The group identified the upcoming grant program as one positive step toward reducing waste.
