Plastic Harvest Film Plastics

Film plastic items are typically thin, pliable sheets or collapsible tubes made of low density polyethylene (LDPE, #4). Another specialty film, called shrink wrap, is designed to stretch and is called linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), likewise a #4. Sometimes tackiness agents are added to LLDPE to make them stick together, however this alone does not hinder their recyclability. Some floating row covers and sun screens or shades are considered films, but typically are spun polyolefin or other custom formulated plastic, and hence may not be recovered in agricultural film recycling programs.

This is dirty mulch film recovered from the field.

Stretch wrap film is LLDPE.

This plasticulture user is surrounded by LDPE film.

Common LDPE film plastic products are bags, mulch, greenhouse covers, hay nets and silage bags. Drip irrigation tubes are also LDPE.

Some plastic (grocery) bags are not LDPE but rather high density polyethylene (HDPE, #2). You can tell if a film is HDPE if it makes excessive noise or rattles when shaken vigorously. Some grocery stores and department stores have a recycling program for grocery bags, such as Wegmans and Walmart for example.