Farm plastic waste recycling options a 'leap forward for sustainability'
Tonnes of plastic farm waste is being turned into new products with the development of recycling techniques by the agricultural industry and engineering researchers.
Each year, Australian farms go through an estimated 110,000 tonnes of plastic waste, but recycling options for soft plastics and twine in particular are limited.
Key players in Australia's grain industry unveiled a plan earlier this year to stop 45,000 tonnes of agricultural bags from going to landfill or being illegally incinerated.
Researchers at a regional Victorian university have also helped to develop a machine to melt down synthetic hay binding twine and repurpose it into building products and furniture.
An industry-led, not-for-profit program to collect and recycle plastic agricultural bags is underway in Victoria with plans to expand it in the coming years.
The bagMUSTER scheme is similar to the program used for chemical drums, allowing farmers to return their used soft plastic bags to stores for recycling.
CropLife Australia chief executive Matthew Cossey helped develop the program and said the bags used for fertilisers, seeds, grain, stock feed, and pet food are turned into new agricultural products.
"It's a huge leap forward for farm recycling," he said.
"When a farmer buys a product in the bagMUSTER program, they'll be able to return it to the retailer, and then it will be collected and fully recycled. It's as simple as that.
Plastic cords used to bind hay, straw and other crops are often seen piling up in farmers' sheds, contaminated with soil, animal waste and other residues.
Most of the twine ends up in landfill or is burnt on farms.
La Trobe University researchers in Bendigo have helped develop a machine to melt and re-form the twine into useful, durable products.
Engineering Associate Professor Ing Kong said the twine could be turned into garden planters, outdoor furniture, and construction materials such as decking or fence posts.
"There has been no incentive to recycle bale twine because it is a single-use, bulky and contaminated product with dirt, small rocks and such," Dr Kong said.
"But this particular machine, invented by Rtech, can actually take a significant amount of contaminate and still process it."
Dr Kong said the melting machine was much more cost-effective than comparable machines and was designed so it could be used on-farm.
"It can be owned and installed easily by anyone, it's economical, and takes up a small space," she said.
"If a farmer has a constant amount of plastic waste, they can recycle it on site into 1-metre cubes, and have the waste ready to be manufactured either locally or exported."
Australian Seed Federation chief executive Katherine Delbridge said the disposal of plastic waste had long been a pain for farmers.
Ms Delbridge said the cost of disposing seed bags into landfill was prohibitive for many farmers.
"Because there hasn't been a supply chain for this plastic before the frank matter is people have been burying and burning this plastic on-farm."
Agsafe general manager Alicia Garden welcomed the advancements in recycling but said there was still a long way to go.
"About 15,000 tonnes of soft plastic recycling is available across all industries per year — consumer, mining, agriculture. It's a really constrained bottleneck," she said.
"Regulatory change about 18 months ago means that we can't use recycling facilities overseas; we have to recycle here in Australia.
Ms Garden said developers were now looking at ways to recycle other plastic waste on farms, such as silage wrap.
"There is a dedicated facility [for that] being built in Albury, which we expect will be online late this year or early next year," she said.
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News.com.au
11 hours ago
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This is where you want to be if nuclear war breaks out
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News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
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'People talk about 'no war' while paying $13.99 a month to a company whose boss is doing this, so they can listen to Royel Otis. 'I don't want to fund war with my subscription.' While one subscriber ditching the platform is inconsequential to the Spotify profit machine, Waldren hopes more of his peers get hip to the realities of the world's biggest music streamer. He has returned to releasing on Bandcamp, a website set up specifically with the artist in mind, where users can purchase music and merchandise directly from the uploader. German electronic music producer Skee Mask also made headlines when he scrapped his entire discography from the platform, following Ek's initial investment into Helsing. 'It's done, all my s**t is gone from Spotify,' he wrote. 'My music will be available there again as soon as this company starts (somehow) becoming honest and respectful towards music makers. But the United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) organisation, a group advocating for artist rights, went even harder, claiming on X it looked like 'warmongering' while artists are paid 'poverty wages'. 'To build a fair and just music industry, we also must dismantle imperialism in all its forms.' 'We stand against genocide and against the war machine, and encourage artists to build solidarity across the world.' 'Evil Music CEO': Video Popular music reviewer Anthony Fantano, known online as 'The Needle Drop', joined the chorus with a video published this week titled: ' Evil Music CEO.' 'If you are at all familiar with the history of capitalism, you understand that the entertainment industry being mixed in, in some form or fashion, with some of the worst sectors of our economy. It's nothing new. But it's somehow worsening, thanks to Daniel Ek, CEO over at Spotify,' Fantano told his 2 million subscribers. 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Ek has been contacted for comment via Spotify. Streaming is 'poverty' for artists It's all part of a broader pushback against major power brokers in the music industry. Spotify has a chequered history and dubious reputation among grassroots musicians around the globe. The platform, which launched in 2008, has long faced criticism for what many say are razor-thin artist royalties. Spotify's convenience has won over millions of users around the globe. Because of its gargantuan user count, the appeal for artists is 'exposure'. But even if you listened to your favourite band on repeat all day, you'd barely be generating a dollar. In 2024, Spotify's average payout per stream ranged between $0.003 and $0.005 USD, which converts to approximately $0.0045 to $0.0075 AUD per stream. That rate can vary based on factors such as listener location, subscription type (free or premium), and the artist's distribution agreement. For a band of five to make the average wage in Australia purely off streaming payouts, they would need approximately 88.7 million hits annually, or about 7.4 million streams per month. That's roughly the entire population of NSW playing your song at least once a month. And that's all before tax, of course. Because then comes the ATO and the industry's obligatory deductions. Distributors, record labels and all manner of 'necessary middlemen' often take a percentage of an artist's revenue, which can significantly reduce the amount that reaches each musician. For a pop star who does not write their own songs and builds wealth from exterior sponsorships, this is not a big deal. But for small acts that self-produce, the divvying up of meagre payouts is seen as criminal. For example, an independent garage band must pay approximately $20 to a 'distributor' before uploading their song to Spotify. It would then take that song around 10,000 streams a year to 'pay' for itself. Relying solely on Spotify streaming revenue to earn a crust has become a fruitless strategy for start-up projects, which has inevitably led some bands to flip the table. Diversifying income streams through live performances, merchandise sales, and other platforms can provide more financial stability. But a quick glance at Australia's collapsing festival circuit will tell you just how optimistic that sounds for working bands attempting to break through.
