Biogone have launched Australia’s first innovative eco-smart silage wrapping for the farming industry, using biodegradable plastic which addresses the increasing issue of disposable plastic products in landfill.
Biogone’s landfill-biodegradable silage stretch film and hay bale net feature a proprietary additive to make the plastic biodegrade away in landfill, without compromising their recyclability.
When the silage wrap and nets are disposed of to landfill, they will decompose up to 90% faster than traditional plastics, which generally take hundreds of years to break down.
According to Biogone founder, Dr. Ross Headifen, the company is committed to designing and manufacturing durable, eco-smart farming plastic products that won’t last eons using Biogone’s landfill-biodegradable plastic.
“Biogone is determined to strip away the complexities around plastic waste and provide logical solutions that are based around promoting biodegradable landfill” Dr Headifen says.
“On average, the Australian farming industry uses a mammoth 8,000 tonnes of farm plastics per year, such as dairy silage wraps and covers, which end up as waste. These are staggering national figures that show farmers are recycling less and less every year. It is fundamental that Australian farmers are supported to transition away from the current plastic situation.
Video: Biogone landfill-biodegradable hay net
Agricultural plastic waste continues to accelerate, and a growing number of challenges exist around inconsistencies with local councils and landfills not being able to accept agricultural plastic waste. However, we are seeing a number of landfills in Gippsland that accept silage wraps and we encourage farmers to dispose of these plastics the right way. Ideally, to have a fully responsible operation, there would be an alliance between famers and their local councils to have a collection arrangement set up where farmers store their plastic waste or drop it at a local depot. From there, the plastic would be picked up by local government agents for recycling if such facilities exist or disposed to the landfill where it could biodegrade away.
Biogone silage wrap and hay nets are UV resistant and do not fragment to microplastics. Our landfill-biodegradable plastic has a no shelf life issues, and when disposed of to a landfill with natural microorganisms present, then, unlike a conventional plastic that will last for hundreds of years or more, this biodegradable plastic could be digested away in 10 to 15 or so years” Dr. Headifen adds.
“When Biogone plastic is disposed of to a landfill, which is a microbe rich environment, the additive in the plastic attracts the naturally occurring microorganisms to the plastic, who begin to eat away at it and digest it and secrete enzymes, which further breakdown the plastic molecules, leaving a natural organic matter (humus) fertiliser.
This process is slower compared to a banana peel biodegrading in a landfill, as the biodegradability of the plastic depends on the level of microbial activity in the landfill, the material thickness as well as the temperature and moisture level in the landfill.
Eventually all plastic will need to be disposed of, as, unlike metal, the molecular structure of a plastic is damaged with every recycle. Biogone landfill-biodegradable plastics are like an insurance policy, if they can’t be recycled, they can be disposed of to a landfill and will biodegrade at an accelerated rate, so they won’t be left for future generations to deal with” Dr. Headifen adds.
