ORONO — University of Maine Cooperative Extension has been awarded $38,764 by a one-year State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection Waste Diversion Grant to develop a statewide pilot program to recycle agricultural greenhouse plastic.

The grant proposes that a voluntary recycling program can achieve a high percentage of grower participation, and affordably divert and recycle a significant percentage of waste greenhouse plastic, according to UMaine, in a news release.

The target material for recycling, low-density polyethylene (LDPE #4), is a clear film used to cover greenhouses, high tunnels, hoop houses and other agricultural structures. It is estimated that Maine annually disposes of 30.1 tons of this waste greenhouse plastic, primarily destined for landfills, with expectations for an increase in volume due to Maine’s interest in season extension technologies, USDA NRCS funding for new high tunnel construction, and the production of hemp and cannabis.

The program’s goal is to collect at least one-third of Maine’s annual waste greenhouse plastic, and partner with an end-user who can convert the collected plastic into resin feedstock used in the manufacture of new plastic products.

Collection of the waste plastic will run from May through September 2020. Participation will be free of charge and open to all growers who register for the project. Registration for participants opens March 1.

Affiliated partners donating additional time and resources include Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Maine; and the Maine Resource Recovery Association in Newport.

Co-investigators for the research include Extension professor Richard Kersbergen; Extension ornamental horticulture specialist and assistant professor of horticulture Matthew Wallhead; MOFGA organic crop and conservation specialist Caleb Goossen; and program manager David McDaniel.

For more information contact program manager David McDaniel, 207.342.5971;  agplasticrecycling@maine.edu.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension:

As a resource for more than 100 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine's land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension helps support, sustain and grow the food-based economy. It is the only entity in the state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. UMaine Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H.
 
About the University of Maine:
The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant, sea grant and space grant university. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state's only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,561 undergraduate and graduate students who have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees, as well as graduate certificates. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine, visit umaine.edu.