Farmers all around Western New York State are recycling their triple-rinsed plastic containers from agricultural crop protection products such as specialty pest control, crop oils, surfactants, micro-nutrient/fertilizer, and/or adjuvant products.
USAg Recycling, Inc., offers agricultural producers and custom applicators an environmentally “green” convenient option for disposing of their empty containers. USAg Recycling Inc. will be picking up agricultural plastic containers in several locations throughout New York State in the months of June and October, 2011.
The service is free to farmers and provides an environmentally friendly alternative to burning or throwing away agricultural containers.
Last year, USAg Recycling, Inc., collected 46,000 pounds of plastic containers statewide. It is a contractor for the industry-funded Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC), which in 2008 celebrated 100 million pounds of agricultural plastic containers recycled from across the United States.
Today, ACRC averages eight million pounds collected each year. Collected containers are ground into chips and recycled as corrugated plastic field drainage pipe and other ACRC approved products. Farmers are doing their share to help keep plastic out of the landfills.
Containers accepted are HDPE #2 plastic containers only, ranging from less than one gallon to 55-gallon barrels. Large 250-gallon shuttle totes must be cut into 2-foot-wide pieces and free of any hardware. Cutting tanks in this manner facilitates proper cleaning and inspection, reduces storage area, and allows for direct feed into the granulation machine.
To be acceptable for recycling, plastic containers must be empty, clean, uncapped and dry. To help store containers until pick-up time, bags that hold 50 to 60 – 2.5-gallon containers are available for free upon registration.
Exact pick-up dates at local sites will be available within the first weeks of June and October.
Please contact Elizabeth Bentley-Huber at Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District at 343-2362 or at Elizabeth.Bentley-Huber@ny.nacdnet.net. or Tucker Kautz with Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District at 473-2120, ext. 108, for more information and registration.
