Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Baleage preserves the quality of winter fodder on the farm, but calls to improve farm plastic recycling rates or solve the problem of silage wrap waste altogether are growing louder.
According to farm recycler Plasback, farmers churn through around more than 10,000 tonnes of plastic bale wrap per year, about 60 percent of which is recovered and recycled.
Although recycling rates were rapidly increasing, commercial manager Neal Shaw said it was voluntary for farmers, some of whom still burnt or buried their plastics, against most regional council rules.
"If they're not prepared for Plasback to come and collect it, which is cheaper than taking it to landfill, they're not going to be recycling it and they're not going to be taking it to landfill," he said.
In 2021, 2600 tonnes of plastic was collected and recycled nationwide. That rose to 6800 tonnes in 2024, partly because of a Fonterra incentive scheme offering farmers increased payouts for sustainability, including plastic recycling.
Since 2006, two voluntary product stewardship schemes run by Agrecovery and Plasback have offered collection and recycling services for some farm plastics to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills or polluting the environment.
A proposed regulated scheme provisionally called "Green-farms" would replace the two voluntary schemes, to collect and treat most farm plastics by 2030, instead of burning, burying, stockpiling or sending them to the tip.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Environment Minister Penny Simmonds had received advice to submit a draft paper to the cabinet for approval to consult on new regulations to support the scheme.
She said plastic prevented hay bales from deteriorating.
"Most bale wrap plastic is of high quality and is recyclable. A regulated scheme would significantly help with recycling and reusing the plastic, along with many other farm plastics," she said in a statement.
Federated Farmers dairy industry group chairperson Richard McIntyre said plastic bale wrap was the only viable, cost-effective option because farmers needed material to be robust, stretchy and impermeable.
"If something biodegradable did come out, farmers would certainly be using it, but unfortunately there isn't at this point," he said.
"We are stuck having to use bale wrap and recycle it using the product stewardships that are in place."
Despite the benefits of wrapping bales in plastic, farmers were being urged not to cling to the idea that there was no alternative.
Southland deer farmer Grant Lightfoot developed edible, biodegradable bale netting made of jute and recently received his first shipment from India.
While Kiwi Econet did not replace the outer plastic wrapping used for baleage and silage, it provided an alternative to the plastic-based netting inside that stock had been known to eat.
Lightfoot said he had sought a research and development tax incentive for his business but was knocked back.
"There were just far too many loopholes for me to get help and I never got any. That's why I've gone offshore with my product," he said.
"I've got people in Europe now wanting it before their season starts and I've got stuff going to America. I had to get a business partner on board to help me."
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Zero Waste Network advocate Sue Coutts said there was no easy way to solve the problem of plastic bale wrap in the short-term, but urged the government to set higher targets for recycling.
She was also in favour of incentives for farmers who did the right thing, or penalties for people who did not.
"It's not realistic to expect that we could get to 100 percent, there's always going to be a little bit of leakage out of a system, but I think 90 percent is a reasonable target," she said.
"You need to say this is the bottom line, if you're not able to achieve that then we're going to put in some incentives or some penalties if you can't make the grade."
Reuse Aotearoa director Hannah Blumhardt said more support should be provided to farmers to reduce or reuse plastic, rather than simply recycling.
"It's clear that the plastic wrap for silage and baleage is a significant and troublesome waste stream within the agriculture sector," she said.
"It's really important to talk about alternatives and not cling to the idea that there aren't. Agriculture has existed for millennia, and plastic is relatively new."
Blumhardt said the government should make reducing and reusing a key part of their priority product stewardship schemes, rather than just focusing on recycling.
