Pilot Program Long Island - New Life For Old Containers

A pilot program makes container recycling a viable option for Long Island growers.

By Richard Jones,
Group Editor, American Vegetable Grower

NOT so long ago, the mention of agriculture in Long Island, NY, conjured images of acres upon acres of potatoes. Times have changed, however. Visitors today might be surprised to see the varied production on the island, including many different fruits and vegetables, vineyards, and ornamentals. There is also a thriving agritourism industry serving New York City residents looking for a weekend escape.

Despite these exciting and profitable changes, however, Long Island growers still face some stiff challenges. Due to the island’s unique geography (including an especially high water table), its proximity to a large urban population, and a particularly stringent regulatory environment, crop protection has become more and more of a headache for growers. The disposal of used containers, in particular, has developed into quite an issue.

Growers essentially have had three options for disposal: burning the containers in the field, burying them in a landfill, or recycling them.
The first two options are obviously less than perfect. “It’s bad when people burn containers,” says Rob Denny, program director for the Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC). “In addition to the obvious worker smoke inhalation issues, there’s also the potential residue buildup in fields. Even burned pesticides leave toxic residue.”

The landfill option is no better, Denny adds. “In a landfill, these containers are just like a tire. If you dig them up in 50 years, they will still look the same.”

The Best Option

All of these factors made Long Island the perfect location to test a new container recycling program. The Long Island Cauliflower Association (LICA), a local grower association and crop protection materials dealer, is taking the initiative to work with the ACRC.

As a service to its members, LICA will do most of the work, actually collecting the empty containers from growers, says Reed Jarvis, a grape grower who is coordinating the program for the association. According to the plan, containers will be picked up from the grower’s operation two or three times per month, baled, and shipped to a recycling facility where they are ground up, washed several times, and then recycled.

“Historically we have had contractors granulate plastic containers in the field, hopefully right down to a size and finish needed to go straight to a recycler,” says Denny. “The truth is that, with all of the expense and logistical issues involved, the operation is more economically accomplished in a factory.”
And all this capital and labor can only be used to recycle one waste stream — rigid plastic containers, in this case crop protection containers. In order to cover costs, the contractor needs huge quantities of plastic containers to make this worthwhile. That’s okay for the San Joaquin Valley in California, but not for pockets of agriculture like Eastern Long Island and so many other rural areas around the nation.

A Proactive Program

Some growers might be hesitant, citing the soft costs involved with the container rinsing and label removal required to participate in the program. Still, taking the extra steps to recycle makes sense, and may head off bigger problems down the road.

EPA has not cited recycling as a high priority, making it more likely that local governments will get involved with their own regulations for container disposal — which may not necessarily be grower-friendly.

“We need to take care of these issues before someone else mandates their own solutions,” says Jarvis.

Denny adds that one of the biggest benefits to growers is the ability to use the program as a marketing tool. “We need to use local media and educate consumers about the growers that are doing the right thing by participating in the program. Good stewardship is a powerful message.”

As a service to its members, the Long Island Cauliflower Association (LICA) is initiating a container recycling program. LICA’s Reed Jarvis says containers will be collected two or three times per month, baled, and then shipped to a recycling facility.

To learn more about participating in container recycling programs
like this one, contact ACRC at 202-861-3144, or visit the council’s Web site, www.acrecycle.org.  AVG

Direct comments or questions about this article to rljones@meistermedia.com

American Vegetable Grower
February 2004.

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