SuniTAFE has partnered with international company Netafim to recycle old drip lines as a way of being more sustainable and reducing its overall environmental impact.   

The Netafim Recoil Program reduces the number of unwanted plastics that get left in the ground or sent to landfill by providing a simple and seamless process to retract and recycle old drip lines.  

This aligns with the mission of SuniTAFE’s SMART Farm campus, which is to be a leader of industry by proactively building a more efficient horticulture sector.  

The operation of the SMART Farm is constantly concerned with the future, both in developing the skills of the next generation of horticultural workers, and by testing up-and-coming technologies.  

In pursuit of this, Horticultural Relationship Manager Matt Wilson embraced the opportunity to utilise a sustainable alternative to a common part of the farm equipment lifecycle.  

“By using the Netafim Recoil machine, we were able to roll up approximately 400 metres of poly pipe every seven minutes, which is a much easier system to use, and there’s zero waste,” he said.  

“The SMART Farm campus decided to engage with Netafim’s Recoil Program as we were able to effectively remove the old product from the farm and have it delivered to a Netafim recycling facility where the product is broken down and remanufactured to make new irrigation products.   

“This avoids the need to unnecessarily dump the waste product at local council landfills where, due to being non-biodegradable, the material is just buried and not recycled.”  

SuniTAFE’s SMART Farm campus strives to address the increasing pain points of the industry.  

“The horticulture and agriculture industries are evolving rapidly,” Mr Wilson said.  

“By 2050, it is estimated that the global population could reach 10 billion. This means that food production may need to double and we will be required to grow more with less resources.   

“Sustainable farming practices and best management practice has never been more critical. Things like recycling old irrigation products are ways in which we can ensure any growth is sustainable.” 

The Recoil Program first started in 2006 and has continued to grow since then.  

Netafim Director of Services Peter Durand says that the willingness of farms like SuniTAFE’s to collaborate with Netafim helps them to achieve their goals.  

“It varies from year to year, but the Program recycles up to one thousand tonnes of drip line nationally,” Mr Durand said.  

“By recycling with the Recoil Program, SuniTAFE is ensuring that their used dripper line is being recycled and used in a sustainable manner. They are helping Netafim achieve their sustainability goals in the process. 

“Our goal is to facilitate a program where all growers using Netafim dripper line can have a sustainable solution for this at end-of-life. We have global and local targets for utilisation of recycled material in our products and this Program helps us achieve this.” 

Click here to learn more about Netafim and the Drip Line Recycling Program.  

To learn more about the SuniTAFE SMART Farm, visit the campus webpage here.