Over 1,600 farmers across the Midwest have signed up for free Revolution Plastics dumpsters on their farms. Plastic is picked up once a month or by appointment, and is recycled into garbage liners that are used nationwide.
With corn silage harvest concluded in the Midwest, farmers have packed their silage bags in preparation for another productive year. Once the silage is in front of the cows, however, disposing of the plastic wrapping is a problem farmers have been dealing with for years.
Revolution Plastics, based out of Madison, Wis., now offers farmers the free solution they have been looking for. With 1,600 producers currently enrolled in the program, farmers across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois are receiving free dumpsters to dispose of recyclable plastic.
Ed Nowobielski, who milks 230 cows near Thorp, Wis., saw the opportunity to dispose of his farm’s plastic in an environmentally friendly way and thought he would look into it further.
“I heard about it on the radio when a UW-Extension agent was talking about plastic recycling,” Nowobielski said. “My nutritionist, Maria Meyer, had heard about it through the Dairy Girl Network and emailed a representative while we were out pulling a silage sample from one of the bags.”
Just 15 minutes after sending the email, Nowobielski received a phone call from Revolution Plastics. After answering a few questions about his farm, Nowobielski was enrolled and set to pick up his free dumpster in late September.
Price Murphy, Revolution Plastics Director of Operations, has been a part of the program since its inception in 2014. He said the program was created due to the need in the area and a request from UW-Extension.
“Delta Plastics has been recycling agricultural plastics in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta area for 10 years,” Murphy said. “Wisconsin farmers could not find an outlet to recycle their plastics. UW-Extension did some research on Delta Plastics in 2014 and asked if we could do something here.”
From there, the Midwest-based Revolution Plastics was born. Prior to the program, paying for costly trash dumpsters or burning plastic were the limited options farmers had to dispose of farm plastics. Going through 30, 9-foot by 250-foot bags a year was generating a high amount of waste and creating a large problem for Nowobielski.
“Our dumpster would get overfilled, so we would burn the excess,” Nowobielski said. “We needed this in this area; this is the solution to a growing problem.”
To sign up for the program, farmers simply need to visit RevolutionPlastics.com or call a representative toll free at (844) 490-7873. While signing up, farmers are asked a series of questions to determine the scope of their operation and the amount of recyclable plastic they generate each year.
Originally, the program was limited to farms producing 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of plastic per year. After the program was launched however, Murphy said it was evident limitations were not necessary.
“Not every farm could realistically figure out how much plastic they were using,” Murphy said. “If farms can fill the dumpsters a few times a year to make up for our expenses, it’s worth it. If there are 20 to 30 farms in an area that we are servicing, it doesn’t hurt us at all.”
The biggest responsibility farmers have is picking up and hauling the dumpster to their farm. Semi-loads of dumpsters are sent to pickup locations after several farmers in an area sign up, at which time Murphy said he contacts farmers to retrieve the dumpsters.
“When we are going to be in their area, a customer service representative will contact the farmer to pick up the dumpster,” Murphy said. “From then on, we handle the disposal and pickup of the plastic.”
Once filled with plastic, the dumpsters are picked up in one of two ways: farmers can get on a scheduled pickup or simply call the number on the dumpster to schedule a pick up. Once scheduled, dumpsters are picked up within a three-day window of time.
Plastic is then baled up and sent to a factory in Arkansas where it is washed and turned into post-consumer resin. The resin is then made into garbage liners that are used by hotels, restaurants, schools and businesses nationwide.
Nowobielski said it is a service farmers need.
“We’ve got to do something,” Nowobielski said. “So many people try to burn plastic, which is illegal. This is the answer to our problems.”
While the dumpsters accept plastic materials such as silage bags, bunker covers and baleage wrap, it is not a receptacle for all plastics. Plastic jugs, barrels, buckets and net wrap are several items that are prohibited in the dumpsters. A complete list of excluded items are available on the Revolution Plastics website and are labeled on the dumpsters themselves.
Murphy said the program benefits everyone involved.
“This is a way to save money and time; it is a win for everyone,” Murphy said. “It is better for the environment and the farm, turning waste into something good rather than filling up a landfill.”
Nowobielski agreed, encouraging farmers to sign up sooner rather than later.
“This is a free service that I cannot say enough good things about,” Nowobielski said. “It’s as easy as it can be to get one; we all should be doing this.”
Source: Dairy Star
