WESTERN Victorian farmers who are looking for a responsible way to dispose of their silage plastic waste are encouraged to take part in a silage plastic recycling trial.

The trial, which is set to begin next month, is being run by Dairy Australia and funded through the Commonwealth Government’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund.

As many as 100 farms from the region have the opportunity to participate in the trial, with participants selected to provide a cross-section of farm sizes, locations and types.

Dairy Australia manufacturing innovation and sustainability program manager, Ian Olmstead invited farmers to jump on board the venture

“We are interested in hearing from all farmers in Western Victoria who use silage, and who would like to see the plastic waste from their silage recycled rather than go into landfill,” he said.

“While we are obviously targeting dairy farmers, we are also keen to include beef farmers who use silage in the trial as well.”

Farmers selected for the trial will be provided with free recycling bins and bin liners in which to collect their clean used silage plastic.

Farmers will then be able either to book on-farm collection of the silage plastic for a small fee or drop the plastic off at waste transfer sites located at Killarney, Peterborough, Simpson, Naroghid and Colac (Alvie) for free.

The trial outcomes will inform a national collection and recycling system for silage plastic, championed by Dairy Australia, with strong input from farmers and industry stakeholders across the supply chain.

The aim is to ensure that the system designed is practical, sustainable and commercially feasible.

Farmers who wish to express interest in taking part in the trial are invited to fill out a form available on www.surveymonkey.com/r/MTR8PTX.