Silage Plastic Recycling Scheme

With support from the Commonwealth Government’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund, Dairy Australia and industry stakeholders have developed a system to support farmers in disposing of silage plastic responsibly to prevent silage ending up in landfill, being burned or buried.

A key stage of the scheme's development was a trial in Western Victoria that saw 90 farmers from dairy and other industries participate from April 2022 to March 2023. Through running the trial, local farmers were able to collect 64 tonnes of silage plastic, which may have otherwise gone to landfill, allowing it to be recovered and recycled.

The trial outcomes have also been used to develop recommendations for a final scheme design which has strong input from farmers and is practical, sustainable and commercially feasible. The learnings are now being used to work with private industry to develop a long-term solution for the responsible disposal of silage plastic wraps and covers on farms.

Farmers participating in the silage plastic recycling scheme will use recycling bins and special plastic liners or bulk bags for storing their used silage plastic in.

Once net wrap (which can’t be recycled) has been separated from the bale wrap and farmers have shaken off any large solids, the plastic silage wrap is stored in the lined bin. Once the bin is full, the liners are tied off and farmers can drop off the plastic at a local collection centre (for free) or contact the collection scheme operator to arrange on-farm pick up (paying a small fee for this service). The plastic is then taken to a recycling centre where it will be processed and turned into pellets which can be used to make a wide range of recycled plastic products.