Local government leaders from across Gippsland have joined forces with industry and community stakeholders to address the growing challenge of agricultural plastics, particularly silage wrap, at a regional workshop in Morwell.
The Agricultural Plastics Workshop was convened by Sustainability Victoria’s Gippsland Regional Engagement Lead, Chris Francis, and brought together representatives from councils, farming communities, recyclers, government agencies and industry bodies.
Currently, silage wrap in Victoria is rarely recycled, with most of it ending up in landfill or being illegally burnt or buried on farms. Research from Dairy Australia shows that farmers are keen to do the right thing, but lack of accessible recycling options means this valuable material is lost from the economy.
The event focused on identifying circular economy solutions to reduce silage wrap waste and improve recycling outcomes across the region.
Financial modelling outlined the cost to a council managing a cubic metre of silage wrap over the lifetime of a landfill was around $350, compared to $150 to recover and recycle the same volume – highlighting the economic case for change.
East Gippsland Shire Council was among the active participants, sharing insights from local initiatives and contributing to solution design.
“East Gippsland Shire Council greatly valued the opportunity to participate in the Agricultural Plastics Workshop hosted by Sustainability Victoria,” said Carina Turner, Waste Minimisation and Sustainability Officer.
“The session provided a collaborative platform to explore practical solutions for improving the collection and recycling of agricultural plastics. Together with industry stakeholders, we discussed logistics for transporting plastic waste from farms to recycling facilities and identified opportunities to boost recycling rates across East Gippsland’s agricultural sector.”
The workshop succeeded in building connections and laying the groundwork for a regional network to collectively and continuously work on circular opportunities. Participants expressed strong enthusiasm for continuing the conversation and developing practical, scalable approaches.
“Solving complex waste challenges like agricultural plastics requires genuine collaboration. These conversations are vital to designing circular systems that work for communities, industries and the environment,” said Chris Francis, Gippsland’s Regional Engagement Lead.
“This workshop demonstrates how Sustainability Victoria’s role as a place-based circular economy broker can bring the right people together to co-design practical solutions to reduce waste.”
There is strong interest in replicating this model in other Victorian regions such as Loddon Mallee and Barwon Southwest, where agricultural plastics also pose significant environmental and economic challenges.
The event also showcased successful trials and programs, including:
- Dairy Australia’s silage wrap recovery trial in Victoria’s Southwest;
- East Gippsland Shire Council’s local recycling scheme in the high country;
- AgSafe’s stewardship programs such as DrumMuster and BagMuster;
- Integrated Recycling’s transformation of soft ag plastics into infrastructure;
- Sustainable Plastic Solutions’ grain cover recycling in western Victoria;
- Sustainability Victoria’s work on developing end markets for recovered plastics.
