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Every year Northland farms use more than 40 tonnes of
plastic silage bale wrap. How you dispose of the wrap can
be a problem, but there is now a solution – the Northland
Silage Wrap Collection.
What’s the problem?
Plastic silage wrap is a convenient way of storing,
transporting and feeding out silage. Its use has also reduced
the amount of leachate from traditional silage pits and stacks.
However, all that non-biodegradable wrap has to be disposed
of once the bale is fed out. Until now the only methods of
doing that have been burning, burying it or taking it to your
local transfer station.
Silage wrap is a hazard as it can blow around farms causing
visual and environmental pollution and problems and can
pose a health risk if eaten by animals (especially cows) leading
to sickness or death.
It can also become caught up in machinery and equipment, or
shredded, which makes it easier to blow away. Bale wrap
often blows into waterways, roadsides and neighbouring
property. It not only looks bad, there’s also a potential for
wrap to block streams and waterways, posing a threat to
wildlife.
Wrap that is buried often works its way back to the surface Wrap that is buried often works its way back to the surface making pasture unsuitable for grazing.
Burning silage wrap gives off dense black smoke and toxic
gases such as formaldehyde and acrolein which are poisonous
to humans and animals.

Why do farmers use non bio-degradeable plastic for sileage?
Every year Northland farms use more than 40 tonnes of
plastic silage bale wrap. How you dispose of the wrap can
be a problem, but there is now a solution – the Northland
Silage Wrap Collection.
What’s the problem?
Plastic silage wrap is a convenient way of storing,
transporting and feeding out silage. Its use has also reduced
the amount of leachate from traditional silage pits and stacks.
However, all that non-biodegradable wrap has to be disposed
of once the bale is fed out. Until now the only methods of
doing that have been burning, burying it or taking it to your
local transfer station.
Silage wrap is a hazard as it can blow around farms causing
visual and environmental pollution and problems and can
pose a health risk if eaten by animals (especially cows) leading
to sickness or death.
It can also become caught up in machinery and equipment, or
shredded, which makes it easier to blow away. Bale wrap
often blows into waterways, roadsides and neighbouring
property. It not only looks bad, there’s also a potential for
wrap to block streams and waterways, posing a threat to
wildlife.
Wrap that is buried often works its way back to the surface Wrap that is buried often works its way back to the surface making pasture unsuitable for grazing.
Burning silage wrap gives off dense black smoke and toxic
gases such as formaldehyde and acrolein which are poisonous
to humans and animals.

Taken on hipstamatic iphone app.