Twisted Issues with Baling Twine and Net Wrap

With winter knocking at our doors and snow forthcoming, many livestock producers will soon be feeding hay. Most hay is bound with baling twine or net wrap, which is often a polypropylene plastic rope or, in the case of net wrap, a thermoplastic resin frequently manufactured from recycled High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastics, like empty milk jugs. When not properly disposed of, these materials can create a littering eyesore as well as cause inadvertent problems for both wildlife and livestock.

Although baling twine and the plastic net wrapping used to pack and store hay bales has a good track record for preserving hay quality, ensuring bale uniformity, and contributing to ease of handling and protection from the elements, its durability is also a foible when it comes to disposal. Because their purpose is to hold bales together for months or even years, these products are made to not be readily biodegradable. Therefore, when baling twine or net wrap blows off a truck’s bale bed once it leaves the feed grounds, that wad creates a breeding grounds for mosquitoes or rodents. And in road ditches, it can block the flow of water by trapping runoff debris.

Unfortunately, there are limited options for disposing of baling twine or net wrap in an environmentally-friendly way. According to Branch Manager Jacob Kunz, neither the Pacific Steel and Recycling facility in Havre nor the one in Great Falls has the means to accept these items. “I am not sure who does,” he said.

Perhaps one of few recycling options is the Twine Collection and Recycling Site in Laurel, Montana. Maintained by volunteers of the Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society, it was started in 2019 to provide an environmentally safe and convenient way for people to collect and recycle baling twine. The site doesn’t accept mesh net wrap, however.

In the absence of recycling programs, the best option is to be diligent about collecting the net wrap or twine when it is removed from bales, to keep it securely stowed during transport, and to dispose of it through a household trash service. Because of the toxic smoke and particulates that are emitted, the plastic net wrap should not be burned.

If left where livestock or wildlife can encounter them, these products create a potential hazard. A Montana State University Extension agent in Wheatland County reported that many birds gather loose twine and use it to line their nests. Both adult and young birds can become entangled in the twine, increasing the likelihood of injury or even death due to suffocation, starvation, or infection. Twine can also be a danger for deer, elk, and antelope if it becomes tangled around their hooves or in their antlers or horns. Net wrap that stays in fields or blows off vehicles into road ditches can become a choking hazard for wildlife, as well.

Researchers at North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension and the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station decided to look into whether any health risks exist for cows that ingest polypropylene or HDPE plastics.

According to the report, whether producers remove net wrap or twine prior to feeding is an individual decision that is largely dictated by time and patience. Once the bale is unrolled for feeding to livestock, the net wrap can be cumbersome to handle if not impossible to remove from frozen bales. Therefore, many producers leave the wrap on, assuming the cattle will know the wrap is inedible and leave it alone. However, bored, curious, or hungry cows can find the wrap tempting when looking for something to chew. Even if the producer does remove the wraps or collect them from the feed ground for disposal, they often blow-off a flatbed if they are not secured for transport.

Sometimes the wrap is ground up along with the feed. When cattle ingest the HDPE—which is indigestible—it can accumulate in the rumen to a point where it creates a blockage or impaction. The blockage reduces the amount of feed a cow can eat, leading to weight loss because the rumen is full and the animal can’t eat much.

“These cattle tend to go off feed, lose weight, and may experience diarrhea, because only the fluid contents of the rumen get past the blockage. Some ranchers have had cows waste away until they had to be humanely destroyed — and then have found net wrap in the rumen at necropsy,” the report states.

Just as acute bloat has also been associated with ingestion of large wads of net wrap in cattle, loose baling twine can have an adverse effect on sheep. Montana is known for high-value wool production. Yet, loose twine fibers readily stick and embed in the wool, significantly reducing its value. Once embedded, twine fibers are very difficult to remove.

Removing the net wrap may be inconvenient, but it can preserve the health of a producer’s cattle in the long run. In more ways than one, bale net wrap can be deadly.