Irish farmers continue to improve their fertiliser bag recycling, with a 30% increase in recycling recorded for 2025. The Irish Farm Film Producers Group (IFFPG), which is the national farm plastics recycling scheme, collects fertiliser bags through its sister company Farm Plastics Recycling. In 2025, farmers delivered 1,300 tonnes of fertiliser bag waste for recycling at 200 bring-centres throughout the country.
Considerable progress has been made regarding fertiliser bag recycling, with a trebling in the volume recycled over the last 10 years and an estimated 40% recycling level currently being achieved for the waste stream.
Progress can be attributed to a number of factors, including a widespread and convenient collection infrastructure, the cost effectiveness of the service to farmers and, in particular, the reliability of the service from one year to the next. In addition, Irish farmers are increasingly committing to environmentally responsible waste management practices.
In 2025, farmers continued to be charged at the rate of €10 per half tonne-sized bag delivered to bring-centres regardless of the weight of waste in the bag. As the average farmer generates in the region of one to two bags of fertiliser plastics per annum, this represents a reasonable recycling cost. In addition, bring centres are convenient in that they spread evenly throughout the country, with the average farmer travelling only 10km to their local facility.
There has been a marked improvement in the quality of fertiliser plastics delivered by farmers to bring centres in recent years, which is essential to the success of the recycling process. Fertiliser plastics come in two different polymer types, each of which must be collected separately. In the case of bulk fertiliser bags (comprising both polymers), the liner must be removed by the farmer and can be presented at the centre together with small fertiliser bags (both LDPE polymers). The outer parts of bulk fertiliser bags (PP polymer) must be brought in separately in another bag to the centre.
Recycling of fertiliser bags is continuing to grow year on year. \ Donal O'Leary
All fertiliser plastics collected are sent for recycling, with as much as possible sent to Irish recyclers. Examples of products that they are ultimately converted into include plastic packaging, crates, and garden furniture. In terms of funding of the service, this is provided through a combination of collection charges at bring centres, as well as Repak subsidies. Most fertiliser producers meet their obligations through Repak membership, where they make a recycling contribution for every tonne of packaging placed on the Irish market.
IFFPG working in partnership with Farm Plastics Recycling provides a full farm plastics bring centre programme in the period late April to early November, with typically 40,000 tonnes of farm plastics waste collected and recycled each year. For further information visit www.farmplastics.ie, or telephone 01-4089966.
Irish farmers continue to improve their fertiliser bag recycling, with a 30% increase in recycling recorded for 2025. The Irish Farm Film Producers Group (IFFPG), which is the national farm plastics recycling scheme, collects fertiliser bags through its sister company Farm Plastics Recycling. In 2025, farmers delivered 1,300 tonnes of fertiliser bag waste for recycling at 200 bring-centres throughout the country.
Considerable progress has been made regarding fertiliser bag recycling, with a trebling in the volume recycled over the last 10 years and an estimated 40% recycling level currently being achieved for the waste stream.
Progress can be attributed to a number of factors, including a widespread and convenient collection infrastructure, the cost effectiveness of the service to farmers and, in particular, the reliability of the service from one year to the next. In addition, Irish farmers are increasingly committing to environmentally responsible waste management practices.
In 2025, farmers continued to be charged at the rate of €10 per half tonne-sized bag delivered to bring-centres regardless of the weight of waste in the bag. As the average farmer generates in the region of one to two bags of fertiliser plastics per annum, this represents a reasonable recycling cost. In addition, bring centres are convenient in that they spread evenly throughout the country, with the average farmer travelling only 10km to their local facility.
There has been a marked improvement in the quality of fertiliser plastics delivered by farmers to bring centres in recent years, which is essential to the success of the recycling process. Fertiliser plastics come in two different polymer types, each of which must be collected separately. In the case of bulk fertiliser bags (comprising both polymers), the liner must be removed by the farmer and can be presented at the centre together with small fertiliser bags (both LDPE polymers). The outer parts of bulk fertiliser bags (PP polymer) must be brought in separately in another bag to the centre.
Recycling of fertiliser bags is continuing to grow year on year. \ Donal O'Leary
All fertiliser plastics collected are sent for recycling, with as much as possible sent to Irish recyclers. Examples of products that they are ultimately converted into include plastic packaging, crates, and garden furniture. In terms of funding of the service, this is provided through a combination of collection charges at bring centres, as well as Repak subsidies. Most fertiliser producers meet their obligations through Repak membership, where they make a recycling contribution for every tonne of packaging placed on the Irish market.
IFFPG working in partnership with Farm Plastics Recycling provides a full farm plastics bring centre programme in the period late April to early November, with typically 40,000 tonnes of farm plastics waste collected and recycled each year. For further information visit www.farmplastics.ie, or telephone 01-4089966.
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