The fate of triple-layer plastic bags used for cowpea storage

Abstract

The dissemination of triple-layer plastic PICS bags for cowpea storage in thousands of villages across West and Central Africa has raised concerns in governmental and development agencies that farmers would simply discard the bags into the environment when they become no longer fit to store cowpea grain. We conducted a survey in November and December 2011 in the Maradi and Zinder regions in Niger to assess the reuse and recycling of PICS bags. Among the respondents, 48% were farmers who had volunteered to test PICS bags during village activities. Some 91% of respondents reused their bags at least once. More than 76% of farmers and 70% of cowpea merchants reused their bags at least twice. Slightly damaged PICS bags with only a few holes were typically repaired with tape and continued to be used to store cowpea grain. When PICS bags could no longer be used to store cowpea, they were recycled to store other crops or used for roofing, tarps, and diaper covers. Respondents reported that PICS bags performed well in storing cowpea grain during consecutive years of use: 100% (year one), 97.3% (year two), 79.0% (year three), and 15.4% (year four). For grain storage purposes, PICS bags may have to be replaced after three or four years of use. There was no evidence that PICS bags are discarded into the environment; rather, they are used for other purposes when they are no longer fit to hermetically store cowpea grain.