Typically, recycling this material can be a hassle and requires a minimum volume for pickup that is often not possible for small farmers to meet.

Last week, 21 Acres, in partnership with Sammamish Valley Alliance, hosted an agricultural materials recycling event. Farmers in the Sammamish and Snohomish Valleys were invited to bring specific agricultural recycling materials to the 21 Acres property and place them in a giant DTG bin, at no cost to them.

The event was a big success! The DTG bin was packed with irrigation tape and tubing, plastic film and bags, waxed produce boxes, old wood, styrofoam and nursery pots – all items that can be recycled.

Why we’re excited about working with DTG: DTG uses people for sorting recyclables rather than machines which allows for a greater diversity in materials they can accept than other recycling companies. They also have special grinding machines that allow them to process many more forms of plastic than the typical jug, tub, cup, and bottle shapes that Waste Management accepts.

DTG is striving for a zero-waste future. According to DTG’s website, construction debris makes up for 25% of the waste stream. Recycling these materials helps reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

As we understand it, DTG is currently not set up to collect household recycling from individuals but be on the lookout for potential announcements about upcoming recycling events; 21 Acres would like to explore the possibility of helping others, in addition to farmers, dispose those hard-to-recycle materials as well.

We’re looking forward to planning another recycling event in partnership with Sammamish Valley Alliance in the fall. If you have questions, ideas or thoughts to share, please email: Kelly Rankich, kellyr@21acres.org.

If you’re interested in learning more about DTG and their food waste diversion program with the Boy Scouts, read here.