Can farmers make hay out of trash? Jerry Alert thinks so.

The most common farm recycling activities include using vegetable and fruit waste to make compost and land application of animal waste. But there are other less obvious ways farmers throughout the state and nation are contributing to pollution prevention.

“If there’s enough bran and husks left over from a harvest, it can be collected and used by an energy producer for fuel. If wood scraps remain from land clearing, it can be used for mulch,” Alert noted. “Oil, vehicle fluids, tires, hoses, belts from equipment, metals and plastics and flourescent light bulbs – all these can and are being recycled by farmers. Everyone has the same opportunity to protect our natural resources by recycling these items.”

Alert is one of four Center for Waste Minimization staff whose job is to help farmers as well as other businesses reduce the waste they create and find suitable reuses for inevitable waste. Housed at the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, the center provides free, nonregulatory visits and advice on ways to reduce waste and reuse what cannot be avoided. The center also maintains source directories for recyclers.

DHEC’s Alert notes that other pollution prevention possibilities on farms contribute to global health. “There are food additives that farmers are giving animals to reduce methane emissions and convert them to carbon dioxide. One of the biggest global warming factors is the contribution of animal emissions,” he said.

Also, plant wastes, in addition to becoming compost, can be converted to chemical or alcohol products. “This is becoming more attractive as gas prices go up,” he said.

“Precision agriculture” in a sense is both conservation and waste minimization. By using satellite technology, farmers can identify specific needs of subunits of farmland. Phytoremediation also is a possibility for farmers, Alert said. The process involves using plants that absorb contaminants such as mercury, arsenic and cadmium before they end up in waterways. Plant varieties also minimize soil erosion.

Nationally, farm experiments have successfully used recycled newspapers for chicken litter, straw for particleboard, paper from corn waste and cat litter from peanut hulls, according to a 1998 article in Successful Farming. According to N.C. State University success stories (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/AboutCES/Success/1998/98smp3.htm), one cotton farmer has saved $2,355 by using poultry litter as a nutrient source.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also devotes time and resources to farm waste reduction. The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program is a competitive grants program funded by USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to promote research and education about sustainable agriculture. Established in 1988, SARE has funded close to 1,200 projects that examine how to improve agricultural profitability, protect natural resources and foster more viable rural communities. Since 1988, SARE has funded $503,871 in grants to South Carolina farm-related projects. For more information, visit their Web site at www.sare.org
Cost savings might not materialize immediately from some pollution prevention and recycling projects, Alert noted. But to make it more profitable and beneficial for everyone involved, farmers could establish consortiums where waste from multiple sites can be stored and accumulated until there is enough to interest a buyer. “None of these activities will occur without some effort and the will to protect natural resources,” he said.

The Center for Waste Minimization can be reached at (803) 898-3970.

Some frequently recycled farm items:

· used oil, lubricants, transmission and brake fluids
· engine coolants
· rubber tires, hoses, fan belts
· storage batteries
· metal wastes (equipment, parts, containers)
· plastics (containers, sacks, bags, wrap, strapping)
· sludge (lagoons) that could be land applied
· wood wastes and chips that could be used for mulch or fuel
· spent fluorescent lamps