Agricultural Plastics Recycling on University Farms

Agricultural plastics are a major environmental impact of food production. The problem persists even in organic operations in which farmers rely on water-efficient drip irrigation and use plastics to protect crops, in place of herbicides or pesticides. Polyethylene irrigation tubing is a large source of plastics. The Student Farm will recycle 40 yards of tubing – approximately 2 years’ worth – along with tubing from other field operations on campus. This will be approximately 2.74 tons of plastic. The project will also create how-to resources with the process, cost and impact of agricultural plastics recycling for other units on campus.