Agriculture Seminar Informs on Polypipe Disposal

Senior Staff Writer

   The Economics of Environmental Management Seminar class conducted a presentation entitled "Polypipe: Where Would Agriculture be Without It?" Thursday, Nov. 13.  The upper-level class worked together to compile the research and create the PowerPoint slide show in order to inform those present on the uses of polypipe in modern-day agriculture.

Courtesy of Bob Stark

Polypipe Presentation - Members of the Economics of Environmental Management Seminar class listen as other classmates present their portion of the research.  The class consists of 12 students, who worked on the project in two-person teams.

   Senior Bart Brunson said the group chose polypipe as the topic of their presentation "because it really impacts the environment because it's so commonly used."

   According to the presentation, polypipe is a major factor in agriculture irrigation.  In Drew County alone, there are 78 irrigated farms, comprising 50,657 acres of irrigated land.  Due to the high usage of polypipe, the presentation focused on the economic and environmental benefits of recycling the material.  According to the presentation, recycling is crucial to avoid environmental damages and is also economically efficient.

   Polypipe, a plastic product used to distrubute water throughout a field, is made of polypropylene, a lightweight plastic that has relatively high purity characteristics and is impervious to many chemicals.  Polypipe serves as an important material in limiting the amount of chemicals expelled into the soil.  Polypipe is also made with polyvinyl chloride or PVC, which is a common plastic used to protect the polypipe by adding strength.  The current options for disposal of polypipe include disposing of it in a landfill, burning it, burying it or recycling it.

   Considering the 20,000 million pounds used annually, the benefits of recycling far outweigh any other methods of disposal.  Burning polypipe is illegal, and burying it is not a sufficient option considering it does not break down completely.  Polypipe is not compressible and landfills already have limited space.  In light of these factors, recycling proves to be the most environmentally efficient means of disposal.  In addition, it is also the most economically efficient means of disposal, since it will save polypipe manufacturers costs on plastics, paper and cardboard.

   The resins collected from the recycled polypipe can be used for a number of other means.  Recycled polypipe can be used to create certified post consmer resins used for construction film, agricultural film and garbage bags.  Primary uses of recycled materials include kitchenware, irrigation, industrial liners or film, molded products and profile extrusions.  The recycled polyethylene can be used for flexibility, chemical resistance, durability and impact resistance in other products.

   Accordng to a campus e-mail survey conducted by the class, 40 of the 42 respondents knew what polypipe is, and approximately 35 considered it a reasonable irrigation option. The majority of polypipe users recycle polypipe and consider it the best option for disposal.  The respondents listed the main reason for recycling as convenience.  They listed major factor in the decision to recycle as the return centers.

Courtesy of Bob Stark

Researchers & Presenters - (left to right, first row) Mike Johnson, April Kitchens, Sarah Dorton, Lana Chastain, Sara Beth Waller, Paige Bolin; (left to right, second row) Brad Clark, Brian Young, Aaron Rutledge, Bart Brunson, Aaron Pambianchi and Justin Johnson all participated in the research and presentation of "Polypipe: Where Would Agriculture be without It?"  The class offered the presentation Thursday, Nov. 13.

   One reason many polypipe users choose to recycle is the convience of recycling sites.  Delta Plastics, the primary polypipe provider for the Arkansas Delta, offers many site locations.  However, because it is not disclosed to the public, few in the public sphere know about it.  Despite public awareness, Delta Plastics provides approximately 250 open collection sites located in Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.  In Arkansas, Delta Plastic plants are located in Stuttgart and Little Rock.  However, in addition to collection sites, on-farm pick-up services are also available year round in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

   The students worked for about a month and a half in compiling the research and building the presentation.  Associate Professor of Agriculture Bob Stark instructs the class and said he thought the class performed well despite the added difficulty of having a larger class.

   The 12 students were split into two-person teams to conduct research on a particular topic of the seminar on polypipe.  Once each team compiled the reaserch for their topic, they combined efforts to build a PowerPoint presentation on the topic.  Stark said the opportunity to do a presentation and work together provides the students with valuable skills they will need in the workforce.

   "I think it's very important for students to have some presentation opportunities," Stark said.  "It gives them skills in presentation, technology and teamwork, and we think all of these are useful skills for students to have when they graduate."

   The Economics of Environmental Management Seminar (AGEC 4823) is offered every fall semester.  Only upper-level students, juniors and seniors, can enroll in the course.  In the past, the seminar classes have covered a variety of topics including garbage cans on campus, recycling efforts on campus and water usage among others.

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