Plastics

Plastic is everywhere in today's world. 

It's used for packaging, protecting, serving, and even disposing of all kinds of consumer goods. Consequently, a lot of plastic ends up at solid waste facilities where it might be recycled or often times landfilled or incinerated. While local recycling programs are able to recover some types of plastics, many forms are not practical to recycle due to different molecular compounds. Separating these compounds can be both difficult and costly, and far beyond the capabilities of many municipalities.

Agricultural plastics

One type of unrecyclable plastic used commonly on farms is low density polyethylene (LDPE) agricultural plastic film (ag plastics). It is used in agricultural operations as silo bunker covers, silage bags, bale wrap, greenhouse covers, haylage covers, row covers, and mulch film.

Ag plastics are convenient and economical for farmers, but disposal is problematic with it often being landfilled or incinerated. Previous research in NYS found that most farmers use ag plastics as bale wrap, bunker silo covers, and horizontal silos and that the advantages of using plastics outweigh disposal issues. 

There are companies that provide recycling services for plastics commonly used in agricultural and horticultural production. 

 

Microplastics

Microplastics are plastic particles that are smaller than 5 millimeters in size, often invisible to the naked eye. These particles are small enough to be carried by wind and water, making them an incredibly pervasive pollutant. The widespread use of plastics in everyday life has lead to the increasing presence of microplastics in compost feedstocks, including food scraps, livestock manure, agricultural residues, and biosolids. Since compost is applied to soil, any microplastics it contains can contribute to contamination of agricultural soils (Wahl et al., 2024).