• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

For Area Farmers, It Pays to Bale and Recycle Plastics

Posted on: Thursday, 7 July 2005, 15:00 CDT

A Leola farmers efforts to recycle soft plastic are paying off. Daniel Zook started compacting farmers polyethylene bags and plastic film into 400-pound bales on his 183 S. Farmersville Road farm five years ago. Back then, farmers had to pay him $25 a ton to accept what they would otherwise have to burn themselves or dump at a landfill at a larger cost. But now, Zook pays them $15 to $90 a ton for the used plastic, depending on its content. Its partly due to higher oil prices, and also a higher price for plastic raw materials, Zook said today, adding that China now imports plastic from the United States.

Since 2000, Zook has gathered, baled and shipped recycled plastic to Trex Co. LLC of Winchester, Va. The company grinds, heats and mixes it with sawdust to make its home decking materials. For the first time last summer, the company started paying Zook enough to cover the shipping bill. Demand for the used plastic jumped. I got five calls from individuals interested in buying plastic in two weeks in November, Zook said. I dont know what caused that. So then Trex agreed to pay even more for the farmers plastic. Zook said Trexs prices are confidential, but he did say what he pays farmers. They get $15 to $40 per ton for polyethylene film, which is often used to store corn and hay silage on farms. Up to half of the weight can be dirt and other contaminants, Zook said. Zook pays $70 to $90 per ton for the clear, white plastic film used to cover greenhouses, because it is cleaner.

Farmers also use soft plastic to protect their young sweet-corn plants from cold temperatures in the spring and to keep their large hay bales dry. They also recycle plastic used to wrap pallets of various farm items. Zook shipped six tractor-trailer loads of plastic from area farms to Trex so far this year. He accepts plastic by appointment and will have another major collecting drive from Oct. 17 to Dec. 2. To contact him, leave a message at 656-4422.

Source: Intelligencer Journal

More News in this Category