The Otter Tail County Solid Waste Department received a $232,000 grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to continue and expand an agricultural and film plastic recycling program in Otter Tail, Todd and Wadena counties. Although film plastic collection started in Otter Tail County in 2016, continuing the program was a challenge after Revolution Plastics, a film plastic recycling company, ceased collection in the region in 2017. Otter Tail County has continued to collect the material over the past several years, but a lack of staffing and appropriate equipment made continuing and expanding the program difficult.
The grant funds will be used to purchase a truck dedicated to servicing farms and other film plastic users from Otter Tail County and partners Todd and Wadena counties. Additional collection containers will also be purchased with a portion of the grant funds, allowing additional locations and all regional transfer stations to collect film plastic waste for recycling.
Agricultural plastic, boat wrap, and other film plastics are a problem material due to the bulky nature of the waste, and the lack of convenient disposal options. Prior to the program that was started in 2016, most agricultural film plastic was either landfilled or illegally burned on site, with no practical option for recycling. Now, Otter Tail County annually collects approximately 220 tons of film plastic from farms and boat storage facilities for recycling. With the additional containers and dedicated collection route, that amount is expected to increase by more than 30% over the next several years.