In Hawaii, commonly used, expensively imported organic orchid growth media -- bark and coir -- quickly break down, inviting pathogens, pests and other problems for commercial orchid growers, who are striving to stay competitive amid global expansion in the orchid industry. Also, as an island state with extraordinary environmental attributes, Hawaii has special problems dealing with the solid waste abundantly generated by local residents as well as millions of visitors annually. This project will find if locally collected waste plastics can be cost-effectively converted into high performance orchid growth media immune to the problems of imported organic substrates. If so, island orchid producers will have a competitive edge, and the local economy and environment will benefit. OBJECTIVES: This Phase I project will determine whether post-consumer plastics -- primarily nos. 1 & 2 beverage containers -- can be used as the basis of a novel substrate or substrate constituent for orchids and other horticultural crops. If so, multiple horticultural and environmental problems will be addressed and ameliorated. The project is designed to benefit Big Island orchids growers who have lost market share to mainland and foreign orchid producers, but, if successful, the methodology could be replicated in other areas where horticulture is practiced. The project is also intended to help alleviate a "crisis" on the Big Island, where the primary landfill is near capacity and closure is imminent. Plastics removed from the waste stream will reduce the volume of solid waste, and locally processing the recyclates will create a value-added product and jobs. The concept is to use nuisance discard plastics as raw material for a multi-faceted, economically and environmentally beneficial enterprise. Potted orchids are the top nursery product in Hawaii, with annual exports worth $22 million. Improved cultivation techniques will help sustain and grow this appropriate industry -- dominated by small and mid-size farms -- in the face of intense competition. We hypothesize that properly processed waste plastics could prove a superior potting material. Organic materials in common use -- primarily bark and coir chunks -- often break down before the orchid begins its bloom cycle, inviting pathogens; pests; pH, EC and CEC issues; loss of aeration; and waterlogging. Also, Hawaii growers must expensively import these materials. We will find if recycled plastic media is more cost-effective than available media options. APPROACH: Phase I will involve two tasks. First, in an expeditious manner, we will explore what type of machine processing of post-consumer plastics will produce an appropriate form for orchid media. The ideal method will be simple, requiring a minimum of processing and energy consumption. This will likely be fine shredding into fluffy, moss-like strands. We will also examine particles made by plastics granulators and grinders, and explore the economic feasibility of making extruded pellets. Travel to several Pacific Northwest plastics recyclers is planned, as no post-consumer plastics processing occurs in the state of Hawaii. We also hope to discover if nos. 1 (water bottles) and 2 (milk jugs) plastics can be combined in processing. The second task will be performance testing of our plastic forms with four widely grown orchid types: dendrobium, cattleya, oncidium intergeneric and phalaenopsis. The forms will be tested as a stand- alone medium, and also in 50-50 combination with standard orchid bark. The control will be a bark-perlite mix. We'll use the Duncan-Waller Mutiple Range Test with 20 of each orchid type in each test group. Standard tests and measurements will be made of the plants during a six month growth trial. Samples will be taken for foliar analysis, wet and dry weight of leaves, stems and roots, and measurements of photosythesis made using the Li-Cor Photosynthesis Meter. Leaf tissue analysis will be performed by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. We will also consider cost, handling, shipping, and consumer appeal characteristics of the material. PROGRESS: 2006/05 TO 2007/11 OUTPUTS: The Phase I project focused on a growth trial to determine the feasbility of recycled plastics being used as a growth medium or media component in the Hawaii orchid industry. The objectives: to prolong life of organic media that decomposes, to offer a locally made product, to reduce the use of expensively imported media, and to recycle material that presently is dumped. Seeking diverse samples for the growth trial, the research team--composed of a plant scientist, an agricultural engineer, an orchid expert, and the PD--attended an international plastics showcase in Chicago in June 2006. They made connections and consulted with plastics experts, arranging for a number of samples to be shipped for testing with orchids. In addition to these samples were several others imported from reprocessors in Oregon and Korea, for total of eight samples representing five plastic types, each with distinct properties. Testing was conducted with five widely produced commerical orchid varieties: dendrobium, cattleya, miltoniopsis, oncidium intergeneric and paphiopedilum. The growth trial protocol, including controls, was established by Dr. William Sakai, professor of horticulture at U. of Hawaii at Hilo. The plant trial began in August 2006 and was assessed in December of 2006, the putative end of Phase I. The PD thought it important to carry the trial through the plants' bloom stage and obtained a no-cost extension of 11 months. In October 2006 the PD attended the annual congress of the National Recycling Coalition in Atlanta, GA, to learn more about plastics recycling and to seek a consultant with expertise in recycled plastics processing systems. Both objectives were attained. In the spring of 2007, with help from the new consultant, Sergio Firpo of Azure Technologies, Oak Park, IL, a secondary growth trial was begun with pellets custom made in Iowa from granulated plastic film, deemed the likely basis for the final product owning to its benign chemical properties, low recyclate value, local availability, and maleability. One group of pellets was made from recycled grocery bags and the other from mixed locally collected polyfilm with some container-plastic mixed in. This was also a controlled experiment, using five orchid varieties as above, with phalaenopsis, the most commonly grown commerical orchid worldwide, substituting for paphiopedilum. This growth trial was begun in May 2007 and assessed in December 2007. At the end of the Phase I project, in preparation for the Phase II proposal, the PD commissioned a cost analysis from Sergio Firpo to see if plastic pellets could be produced cost-effectively in Hawaii, where overhead costs are high. His analysis showed feasibility. An email survey of orchid growers conducted by the PD indicated that that the vast majority of Hawaii growers would use locally produced recycled plastic media if price and performance were equal to imported options. The PD also met with county recycling groups and showed samples of orchids successfully grown in recycled plastics, gaining their support, and obtained an endorsement and offer of help supplying feedstock from the American Chemical Council, the plastics industry trade assn. PARTICIPANTS: PD: Cassandra Phillips, orchid grower/shipper for more than 20 years; co-owner of three orchid nurseries in California and Hawaii, including Kamuela Greenhouse/Specialty Orchids; former three-term officer of the Hawaii Orchid Growers Assn. (HOGA), organizer and publicizer of orchid conferences and shows; author of orchid articles published nationally and locally; graduate of Pomona College (BA) and U.C. Berkeley (MA). Plastics Recycling Consultant: Sergio Firpo, president of Azure Technologies, Inc., in Oak Park, IL, specializing in processing systems for recylates. A naturalized citizen born in Argentina, Firpo has a master's degree in engineering from Rice University and has created recycling systems for global clients like Coca Cola and the Mexican government. Plant Science Consultant: Dr. William Sakai, professor of horticulture, University of Hawaii at Hilo, lead investigator in a number of studies regarding photosynthesis, nutrient uptake and forced blooming in a wide range of commodity and ornamental crops in Hawaii. He served as interim dean at UHHilo and has won awards for excellence in teaching. He received his PhD from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Agricultural Plastics Consultant: James Garthe, P.E., Penn State University Dept. of Agriculture. Mr. Garthe assisted under a subaward agreement with Penn State with locating recycled plastic samples for the first growth trial. Mr. Garthe, a Clemson graduate with an advanced engineering degree from the University of Idaho, has developed a plastic fuel pellet from agricultural waste plastics. His contacts among recycled plastics processors brought in several samples for the growth trial, including the very effective granulated polystyrene. Horticultural Associate: Robert Burkey, co-owner of Kamuela Greenhouse/Specialty Orchids with the PD, award-winning orchid hybridizer, accredited American Orchid Society judge; past president of HOGA; past regional head of AOS judging; consultant to the Hawaii Biotech Tissue Culture Center, Hilo; graduate of Kansas State U. (BS) and University of Toledo (MA). Mr. Burkey carried out the irrigation and fertilization regimen for the growth trials. Linda Peters, County of Hawaii Recycling Coordinator. Supporter of the project and has pledged to facilitate feedstock collection should the project go forward. American Chemical Council, based in Arlington, VA, the trade association of the plastics industry. Has officially endorsed the project and offered to facilitate feedstock collection should the project go forward. This group seeks to forestall the banning of plastic bags and actively encourages development of uses for post-use plastics. The Hawaii Orchid Growers Assn. has endorsed the project, acknowledging the need to improve price, performance and availability of orchid growth media options for commercial growers. A number of commercial orchid growers in Hawaii have individually expressed support for the project via responses to a survey sent out by the PD to gauge interest in the proposed new growth medium. The Hawaii High Tech Development Corporation, Honolulu, HI, has provided consulting and a grant of $10,000 for the project. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for the effort is primarily commercial orchid growers in Hawaii. The product could also be offered for retail sale, locally and domestically via the internet. Eventually, the target audience would include mainland orchid producers primarily in California and Florida. Other target audiences would be groups interested in recycling in general and plastics recycling in particular. Non-orchidaceous ornamental producers would also be interested in the R&D effort. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: There were several major changes in the Phase I project which were approved by CSREES: 1. Instead of in-house development of recycled plastic test forms, samples were obtained from outside processors. 2. Instead of visiting recycled plastic processors on the West Coast, the project team traveled to an international plastics trade show in Chicago to gain a broad base of information in a short amount of time. 3. A no-cost extension of Phase I was secured to allow the test plants to go through their bloom cycle, to check for abnormalities and anomolous behavior. 4. The PD attended the National Recycling Coalition Congress in Atlanta, GA, Oct. 2006, which had not been in the original proposal. 5. Sergio Firpo of Azure Technologies was hired as a consultant in Oct. 2006. 6. A smaller, secondary growth trial not included in the original work plan was conducted using custom made polyfilm pellets, obtained through the efforts of Sergio Firpo, alone and in combination with organic media. The second trial was conducted within budget parameters established for the first trial. 7. James Garthe withdrew from the project due to other commitments. (This change was not cleared through CSREES, but did not impact the budget.) All work was accomplished within the budget, which was increased by $10,000 with a grant from Hawaii SBIR, administered by the High Tech Development Corporation in Honolulu. IMPACT: 2006/05 TO 2007/11 Several outcomes of the initial growth trial were unexpected and determined areas for further investigation in the Phase II application. In Phase I, the PD proposed to experiment with grinding, melting and developing ways to process recycled plastics. It soon became clear that plastics have properties that require specialized equipment for processing. At this point the decision was made to attend the plastics showcase in Chicago, referenced above. The sample forms presented an array of processing modalities, some highly industrial, energy intensive, and requiring special technology to capture noxious gases released by melting plastics. A sample from Korea was attractively like pea gravel and advantageously made from mixed, unwashed recycled plastics. However, the processing was complex and energy intensive, a problem in Hawaii with the nation's highest utility rates. Our method would have to be as simple and "green" as possible, but still novel. With oil prices rising, certain recycled plastics were becoming valuable international commodities. Two were initially considered for media: PET from soda bottles and HDPE from milk jugs. Attention shifted to lower value LDPE, or polyfilm, from mixed sources: greenhouse cover, shopping bags, and pallet wrap. The least expected result from the initial growth trial was the performance of granulated polystyrene (take-out food trays). This material produced the best results with tempermental miltoniopsis orchids, better than the controls, and moreover caused consistent early season spikes, suggesting a hormonal impact. Another orchid type, the paphiopedilum, was not expected to grow in any of the plastics and grew as well or better in the granulated PS and in a granulated foamed polyurethane than in the controls, and also bloomed in a few of these samples but not in the controls. The suggested hormonal impact of plastic-based substrates on plant bloom cycles has broad ramifications not only for horticulture, but also for human use of these materials. In the secondary growth trial, two types of polyfilm pellets were specially fabricated, one from shopping bags alone, the other from locally collected polyfilm scraps with container plastic mixed in. Both materials were granulated, then pelletized in a mill typically used for making animal feed. The pellets had a laminated, textured form allowing for water retention and air cirulation to the orchid roots. The bag pellets performed especially well, and both types outperformed Perlite as an additive to bark with five orchid varieties. In combination with peat moss, the pellets produced very impressive results, leading to a concept that would be pursued in Phase II: a pellet combining plastic and peat as a stand-alone substrate. Also proposed for Phase II development is a machine that would "strip shred" heavier mil polyfilm The PD met with limited success in hand-making moss-like strips of greenhouse film for testing, because no such equipment exists, but the small amount produced was used to plant several intergeneric clones, which grew exceptionally well, especially with a layer of bark on top -- far outgrowing clones from the same run in regular media. PUBLICATIONS (not previously reported): 2006/05 TO 2007/11 No publications reported this period PROGRESS: 2006/05/15 TO 2007/05/14 June 2006: project principals -- Phillips, Garthe, Sakai, Burkey -- attend the NPE Showcase, a plastics tradeshow in Chicago, finding several recycled plastic forms to test as growth medium for orchids. July: 8 forms of recycled plastic are received from around the world: commingled plastic chunks; densified polyfilm; shredded HDPE; granulated HPDE; densified recycled carpet; granulated PS; foamed, granulated TPU; granulated mixed polyfilm. August: Growth trial begins. The PD obtains shifters of cattleya, miltoniopsis, oncidiinae, dendrobium, and paphiopedilum. Control media are Orchidata bark from New Zealand, coir from Sri Lanka, and volcanic cinder. Objectives: to learn if orchids will accept plastics, prefer certain types, grow normally. The plants are randomized in 9 blocks. October: the PD attends the National Recycling Coalition Congress in Atlanta to learn about plastics recycling and find a consultant to help develop a smart system to make recycled plastic media (RPM). Sessions are informative and the PD hires engineer/consultant Sergio Firpo of Azure Technologies. December: each trial plant assessed in categories such as vigor, color, and rooting. Each documented photographically. Results promising. Salient findings: 1. Dendrobiums grow well in commingled plastic chunks. 2. Miltoniopsis grow well in granulated PS. 3. Oncidiinae and cattleyas grow as well in most plastics. 4. Paphiopedilums grow equally well in granulated PS and controls. However, the overall best test medium is locally collected granulated polyfilm. It prompts no adverse reactions and is limited only by drying out too quickly. A Phase I extension is approved. The growth trial will continue through the bloom cycle to make sure plants flower properly, in light of the risk to growers of trying new growth media. Compelling evidence that RPM works well is needed. During winter and spring of 2007, the PD works with Azure. A second growth trial is planned using refined plastic forms alone and combined with organic material and including phalaenopsis, unavailable for the first trial. The RPM would mitigate organics' shortcomings: expense, biodegradability, importation. Azure procures the services of a pellet mill in IA. Pellets the size of rabbit feed are made from two forms of polyfilm. The result is a textured pellet with plenty of surface area for holding water and an orchid-friendly shape. This basic technology, avoiding the problematic melting of plastics, could work on the Big Island where utility rates are high. In the second trial, the PD is also testing granulated PS in combination with organics. Both PS and polyfilm are not recycled on the Big Island and would be readily available feedstock. May 2007: Round II begins. Results thus far are good, excepting pellets + peat moss, which is too water retentive. Roots are forming and plants are establishing. In August the initial trial plants will be assessed. Round II trial plants will be assessed in November. The PD will have a booth at the October conference of the Hawaii Orchid Grower's Assn. to introduce local growers to the concept of recycled plastics as a beneficial ingredient in growth media. IMPACT: 2006/05/15 TO 2007/05/14 Economic impact: the project aims to create a low-cost growth medium. Cost control is vital to Hawaii growers competing in today's global market. RPM would be locally made: island dollars would stay at home, jobs would be created. Hawaii growers spend an estimated $2 million a year on growth media. Thus the potential market in Hawaii could be about $1 million if RPM captures half. The concept would work in any horticulture-intensive region, and the product need not be confined to orchids. Economic potential is vast. Environment: large quantities of waste plastics would be diverted from the MSW stream. The project's concept features local collection and manufacturing of the product, for minimal transportation E usage. Adoption of RPM would displace some imported material -- bark from New Zealand and the West Coast, coir from Sri Lanka -- resulting in less material being freighted to Hawaii. We anticipate faster, cleaner growth of orchids in RPM and less pesticide use. Also, less fertilizer, as plastics are inert and do not sequester nutrients, as does fir bark. Sustainability is also an issue with fir bark and coir products. Social impact: would be closely linked to the environmental impact. Awareness of environmental issues raised as the project becomes the subject of local and state-wide media stories and the product is presented at trade shows and conferences. Schools may be involved in the collection of PS food trays, increasing recycling awareness where it counts, among the young. The concepts of recycling and keeping it local are compelling ones for our time
