From bunch bags to cornerboards – recycling banana plastic

In order to produce export quality bananas, the use of plastic bags to protect the banana bunch is a normal practice in the banana industry. These plastic bags are used only once. In many banana producing countries, like the Dominican Republic and Peru, it is common for the plastic bags to be buried, burned or thrown away at a dumpsite or landfill, or in the worst cases, stay behind on the plantation, along the road or end up in waterways.

With this project, Agrofair and its partners will be able to recycle banana plastic waste as prime material to manufacture corner boards that are used to fix banana boxes on pallets that are loaded into sea freight containers. In order to produce these corner boards, six sets of machines (shredders and extruders combined) will be bought and installed: two for the Dominican Republic and four for Peru. The project will also be helpful to raise public awareness for the challenges related to the use and disposal of plastic waste and to promote smart solutions in banana supply chains.