Turning Plastic Mulch into Opportunity: Cynthia Sigira on Pyrolysis, Recycling Challenges & Circular Solutions

In this episode of Mulch Matters, host Dr. Nataliya Shcherbatyuk sits down with Cynthia Bosibori Sigira, a PhD researcher at NC State University, to explore the rapidly evolving world of agricultural plastic mulch and its end‑of‑life challenges. Cynthia shares her journey from studying environmental engineering in Kenya to researching sustainable recycling pathways for plastic mulch in U.S. agriculture. She explains why plastic mulch use has surged—highlighting that it can lead to "up to 60% increased crop yields" —while also unpacking the environmental risks of current disposal practices like burning, burying, and landfilling. A major focus of the conversation is Cynthia's work on pyrolysis, which she describes using a memorable analogy: "imagine cooking something using a slow cooker" . She discusses how real‑world conditions—UV exposure, soil contamination, additives—affect pyrolysis outcomes and why these films are so challenging to recycle. Cynthia also dives into the promise of catalytic pyrolysis, the hurdles to scaling it, and what a truly circular system for agricultural plastics could look like. Whether you're a grower, researcher, policymaker, or sustainability enthusiast, this episode offers a clear, insightful look at the science, challenges, and future of mulch film recycling. This work is supported by Specialty Crops Research Initiative Award 2022-51181-38325 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed on this podcast are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Intro and outro music credit to Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay