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Photo courtesy of University of Maine Cooperative Extension. RECYCLING – University of Maine Cooperative Extension expects to open its Greenhouse Plastic Recycling program April 19 with drop-off sites available statewide through Nov. 21, including the Piscataquis County office on East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft.
Photo courtesy of University of Maine Cooperative Extension. RECYCLING – University of Maine Cooperative Extension expects to open its Greenhouse Plastic Recycling program April 19 with drop-off sites available statewide through Nov. 21, including the Piscataquis County office on East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft.

UMaine Extension greenhouse plastic recycling program opens April 19

Contributed • April 7, 2022

DOVER-FOXCROFT – University of Maine Cooperative Extension expects to open its Greenhouse Plastic Recycling program April 19 with drop-off sites available statewide through Nov. 21. The Piscataquis County office at 165 East Main Street is among the locations for dropping off.

Plastic eligible for recycling is clear, low-density polyethylene #4 (LDPE #4) used to cover greenhouses, high tunnels, hoop houses and other agricultural structures. The program will also accept white overwintering plastic bundled separately from clear plastic. UMaine Extension’s GPR program video explains the process in full.

This will be the third year for the recycling program, begun in 2020 with a one-year Maine Department of Environmental Protection Waste Diversion grant. The program’s goal is to collect at least one-third of Maine’s annual waste greenhouse plastic, diverting that waste for use in new plastic products. To date, the program has collected almost 2,600 pounds of this plastic waste.

There is no program fee; registration is required. Register and find more information on the GPR program website at https://extension.umaine.edu/agriculture/2022/04/01/preparing-for-2022-gpr-season/. More information also is available by contacting Matt Wallhead at 207-581-2949 or agplasticrecycling@maine.edu.

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