CSU Extension: Morgan County 4-H Exchange Partners on Twine Recycling Program
By Aimee Kanode, Morgan County Extension
Morgan County is ranked in the top five agricultural counties in the state, and while farmers and ranchers work hard to reuse or recycle products, thousands of pounds of baler twine gets overlooked each year. Polypropylene is the most common material that baler twine is made of, and is a plastic that takes an average of 20-30 years to decompose, and can release toxins if burned. However, baler twine is 100% recyclable, meaning here is no need to burn, bury, or throw the twine in a landfill when it can be recycled and reused.
The Morgan County 4-H Exchange has partnered with the Morgan Conservation District in an effort to recycle twine and keep it out of our landfills and from building up on peoples’ land. Twine that is collected will be transported up to Waste-Not recycling in Johnstown, Colorado. Once at the facility, the twine is melted down into plastic pellets that can then be reused to make plastic products such as feed tubs and buckets.
If you have twine, no matter how much, please consider dropping it by the Extension Office in Fort Morgan from 8:00 a.m. until noon on the following dates: December 14, 2019; March 14, 2020; June 13, 2020; September 12 2020; and December 12, 2020.
Not only does this help our environment, but the Morgan County 4-H Exchange makes $0.10 per pound recycled, and proceeds will help fund their Exchange with New Hampshire in 2020 and 2021.
If you have too much twine to transport to our office on the dates listed above, or would benefit from having a collection container at your location please contact Aimee Kanode at 970-542-3542 or at aimee.kanode@colostate.edu to learn about other options.