(TRENTON) – After eight years of collecting nursery and greenhouse
film on a seasonal basis, the New Jersey Department
of Agriculture is implementing -- for the first
time -- a year-round collection program in an effort
to encourage more growers to recycle their used
white and clear film.
New Jersey continues to be a leader in the recycling of nursery and greenhouse
film, which is plastic that is used to cover greenhouses for environmental control
and hoop houses for over-wintering of nursery material.
“This recycling program gives the agricultural community the opportunity
to protect the environment by keeping these plastics out of the waste stream
and putting them back into a beneficial use,” said New Jersey Agriculture
Secretary Charles M. Kuperus. “Not only does the program save growers money
from higher tipping fees at landfills, recycling this material saves valuable
landfill space.”
Since the film-recycling program was initiated in 1997, growers have recycled
almost 3.3 million pounds of film. During the 2004 program, grower recycled almost
256 tons of used film, a slight increase from 2003.
The two regional sites that will accept film year-round are the Burlington County
Occupational Training Center in Mt. Holly and the Cumberland County Solid Waste
Complex in Deerfield. Out-of-state growers can take their used film to the Mt.
Holly site, whereas the Cumberland site will only accept New Jersey growers’ film.
For details about the locations, hours and fees, visit the NJDA website at www.state.nj.us/agriculture/recyclingpestcons.htm.
Both white and clear nursery film and clear multi-season (two-year, three-year,
and four year) greenhouse covers can be recycled. Film must be free of lathing,
staples and saran. Loads containing other agricultural plastics, such as bags,
mulch film, shrink film, stretch film, drip irrigation or ground
cover film, will be rejected at the collection sites.
Vehicles used to transport the greenhouse and nursery film intra or interstate
are not required to be licensed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection as long as the used film is transported directly to one of the two
collection sites participating in New Jersey’s nursery and greenhouse film
recycling program.
For additional information on the nursery and greenhouse film-recycling program,
growers can contact
one of the two collection sites or Karen Kritz at (609) 984-2506 or by email
at Karen.Kritz@ag.state.nj.us.
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