New
Jersey Agriculture Secretary Art Brown, Jr., today
announced that the 1999 greenhouse and nursery
film collection and recycling program will run
from February 1 through June 1, with at least two
collection sites already approved in Cumberland
County. The two facilities are East Coast Recycling
in Millville and the Cumberland County Improvement
Authority in Deerfield. "We are giving growers
plenty of advance notice about the 1999 film collection
program so they can plan their participation in
this film recycling effort," Brown said, noting
that some growers are removing greenhouse film
now and need details about how to properly bundle
and store the material in anticipation of the program's
early start-up date. "Once again, the department
will provide growers with written collection and
bundling guidelines to follow when wrapping and
storing the film," Brown said "Getting the information
out now will help nurserymen decide how they want
to manage the film when it is removed from hoop
houses in the spring." Both white and clear films
used in nurseries for over-wintering plants, as
well as clear multi-season (two-year, three-year
and four-year) greenhouse covers can be recycled.
The used film must be free of lathing, staples
and saran tape. Loads containing other agricultural
plastics, such as bags, mulch film, shrink film,
stretch film or ground cover, will be rejected
at the collection site. "We work throughout the
year to help recycling centers find new markets
for recycled film," Brown said, "but the global
economy has a significant impact on markets for
used film, which sometimes makes it difficult for
recycling centers to find buyers for the product. "However," he
added, "our nurserymen and greenhouse operators
have developed good quality control programs and
our recycled film is very clean so we are optimistic
that our film will ultimately be marketable." New
Jersey's greenhouse and nursery growers remove
and dispose of almost one million pounds of film
each year. In 1997 NJDA implemented the film collection
program to keep the plastic out of New Jersey's
landfills and more than 450,000 pounds of film
was recycled around the state. Last year, another
285,000 pounds of film was collected at six approved
collection sites in Atlantic, Burlington, Cumberland,
Monmouth and Passaic Counties. The lower amount
was attributed to the early spring, which forced
growers to remove film before recycling sites had
been established. Almost 90 percent of the film
collected in 1998 was generated by growers located
south of Camden County, leading the department
to locate the 1999 collection sites in the southern
part of the state. However, NJDA will closely monitor
the program throughout the season in order to determine
whether additional collection sites are required
elsewhere in the state. With a 1998 grant from
the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,
NJDA was able to offset a portion of the program's
operating cost. During the 1999 program, approved
collection sites will again be partially reimbursed
for their costs based on the volume of film recycled
by New Jersey growers. For more information or
copies of the Growers Collection and Bundling Guidelines,
contact NJDA at 609-984-2506 or e-mail karen.kritz@ag.state.nj.us, or call
the New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association
at 609-291-7070 or AT Plastics, 1-800-661-3606.
1999
APPROVED COLLECTION SITES FOR GREENHOUSE & NURSERY
FILM
CUMBERLAND
COUNTY SOLID WASTE COMPLEX
169 Jesse Bridge Road
Deerfield, New Jersey
(609) 825-3700
Prior to delivery of the film, all growers MUST call the Authority
to establish an account. In addition, growers using a licensed solid
waste hauler MUST inform the Authority prior to delivery in
order to maintain proper billing and documentation. Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday
7:30 am - 3:30 pm, Saturday by appointment only
Tipping Fee: $10.00 per ton
Drop-off requirements:
- Film
must be rolled into manageable bundles. If
grower chooses to tie the bundle (not required),
the tie MUST be made of greenhouse film. Material
MUST be free from all debris including wood,
shrink wrap, nails and any other material foreign
to said film.
- Film
which is dirty or not properly prepared will
be rejected.
Additional
Services: Additional services are available
on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Authority
with special needs. EAST COAST RECYCLING
ASSOCIATES
Millville Industrial Park
1801 Eden Road
Millville, New Jersey
(609) 327-8888 Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 7:30 am -
4:00 pm
Tipping Fee: $0.00
Drop-off requirements:
- Film
must be bundled and tied (the tie MUST be
made of greenhouse film) OR placed in
boxes on pallets. Material MUST be free
of any debris including, but not limited to,
wood, stones, dirt, etc. Film which is dirty
or not properly prepared will be rejected.
- At
the time of delivery, or as soon thereafter
as practical, the material will be weighed
and a ticket issued stating the weight, less
any pallets and boxes.
NEW
JERSEY NURSERY & GREENHOUSE FILM 1999 RECYCLING
PROGRAM
GROWER
COLLECTION & BUNDLING GUIDELINES Growers
must maintain a high quality control program when
removing the film and preparing it for storage
or delivery to the regional collection sites. Through
the demonstration program we learned ways to collect,
bale and market the film. Now we must move forward
to implement measures to improve the program. In
order to market the film, we must be able to provide
an ample supply of quality material. Grower cooperation
is imperative in order to continue the success
and future of the program. Below are steps which MUST be
followed for the 1999 film recycling program. QUALITY
CONTROL
- Film
should be cut just above the lathe board in
order to insure that no staples or wood are
commingled with the film.
The
film MUST be rolled. For ease of handling,
the film should be rolled up as soon as it
is removed from the structure. The rolled film
must be no wider than 4-5 feet (like a sausage).
It may be necessary to cut the length of the
film for ease of handling (see
diagram).
The
bundled film MUST be tied and ONLY the
same type of film in the roll should be used
to tieit. DO NOTuse twine, wire, non-nursery/greenhouse
film, etc. If anything other than nursery/greenhouse
film is used to tie the bundled film, the load
will be rejected. See sketch for bundling procedure options A & B.
Every
step should be taken to avoid picking up excess
soil when the film is removed from the structures,
rolled, stored or prepared for delivery to
the regional collection site.
Only
nursery and greenhouse film will be accepted
at the regional collection sites. No bags,
mulch film, shrink film, stretch film, or ground
cover film will be accepted.
- Film MUST be
free of foreign material: lathing, wood, staples,
paper, stone, saran tape, etc. Any loads which
contain material other than nursery or greenhouse
film will be rejected by the approved collection
sites.
STORING
THE FILM OVER THE WINTER FOR FUTURE OFF-SITE
RECYCLING New Jersey has one collection
period, namely during the spring/early summer
months. Collection dates may vary by region.
The rolls of film can be stored over the winter
and delivered to the collection sites during
the next regionally scheduled collection period.
In order to assure that the material will maintain
its quality over the winter months, the steps
listed below must be followed.
- The
rolls can not be in contact with the soil or
placed on stone. They MUST be stored
on a concrete pad or on pallets. Storing the
film on soil or stone will increase the chance
of soil or stones contaminating the load of
film when it is prepared for delivery to the
regional collection site.
The
best place to store the rolls of film is inside
a building. However, if an area of a building
can not be designated for this purpose, the
material can be stored outside if it is covered.
In order to eliminate the accumulation of water
in the rolls, they MUST be covered with
some type of tarp or plastic. The film which
is removed from the structures can be used
to cover the rolled film and the covering can
then be bundled and tied and recycled when
the material is delivered to the regional collection
site. If a tarp or non-greenhouse/nursery film
is used to cover the rolls, it MUST be
removed prior to delivery of the rolls of film
to the collection site.
- All
quality control measures outlined earlier MUST be
followed.
TRANSPORTATION
- Film
may be transported to the collection sites
by the grower or a commercial contractor. If
a trash dumpster is used to transport the rolls
of film, remember that only nursery and greenhouse
film is allowed - no other plastic material
or refuse. If there are any contaminants in
the load, the entire load may be rejected by
the regional collection site.
- A
solid waste transport permit from the New Jersey
Department of Environmental protection is NOT required
to transport recyclable materials to the collection
site.
FOR
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, contact Karen Kritz,
New Jersey Department of Agriculture at (609)
984-2506, e-mail karen.kritz@ag.state.nj.us or AT
Plastics at 1-800-661-3606.
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