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Given the recent improvement in the weather around the country, attention on farms is turning to silage once again, with progress having been delayed up to now.
This also means the collection of old and used silage wrap and plastic occupying space in yards may also receive some attention.
The Irish Farm Film Producers Group (IFFPG) operate bring centres around the country, as well as facilitating farmyard collection for plastic recycling.
This week on “How much are you paying for…” we take a look at the cost of recycling old plastic.
Prices are based on the weight of the plastic and are charged on a half-ton basis. Bringing the plastic to a bring centre is substantially cheaper than having it collected in your farmyard at the price of €15/0.5t versus €40/0.5t.
As prices are charged on a weight basis, wet or damp plastic will weigh more and therefore cost more than dry plastic.
Non-silage plastics (fertiliser and meal bags, drums and netting), can also be recycled and farmers are charged €15/0.5t bag of material for these items.
One key thing to note is the difference in the price of recycling plastic with and without a label code. The code is proof of the purchase of levied plastic and should be on the invoice/receipt of the purchased plastic wrap.
Costs rise to €85 and €100 for brought and collected plastic respectively without the code.
Price increase
The price of bringing plastic to one of these centres has increased 20% since last year. In 2016, as reported by the Irish Farmers Journal, the cost of the bring centre was €12/0.5t that has now risen to €15/0.5t. All other costs have remained at their 2016 levels.
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