The Programme
Collectors
About agricultural waste plastics
Each year about 550,000 tonnes of non-natural wastes are generated on farms in England, of which it is estimated that about 85,000 tonnes is waste plastic.
Over 90% of holdings produce plastic waste, with packaging waste estimated to be about 21,000 tonnes each year and non-packaging plastic waste estimated at about 65,000 tonnes per year. This latter figure is bolstered by the high levels of contamination (soil and other debris) associated with silage wrap and horticultural films, as the following table highlights.
Non-Packaging Plastics |
England |
Wales |
Scotland |
Northern Ireland |
UK Total |
Silage film plastic |
12,425 |
5,016 |
5,029 |
2,530 |
25,000 |
Silage film plastic + contamination |
24.851 |
10,032 |
10,058 |
5,060 |
50,000 |
Greenhouse and tunnel film |
468 |
10 |
12 |
11 |
500 |
Mulch film + crop cover |
3,738 |
30 |
657 |
76 |
4,500 |
Mulch film, crop cover + contamination |
18,689 |
148 |
3,238 |
380 |
22,500 |
Cores for silage wrap |
703 |
339 |
327 |
138 |
1,506 |
Other horticultural plastics |
5,617 |
114 |
143 |
127 |
6,000 |
Bale twine and net wrap |
7,934 |
821 |
1,683 |
662 |
11,100 |
Tree guards |
6,694 |
532 |
4,492 |
182 |
11,900 |
Total Non-Packaging Plastics |
37,579 |
6,860 |
12,341 |
3,726 |
60,506 |
Total Non-Packaging Plastics |
64,956 |
11,994 |
19,997 |
6,559 |
103,506 |
Plastic Packaging |
|||||
Agrochemical packaging |
1,720 |
30 |
276 |
374 |
2,400 |
Fertiliser bags |
8,748 |
984 |
1,654 |
815 |
12,200 |
Seed bags |
840 |
15 |
134 |
12 |
1,000 |
Animal feed bags |
6,419 |
1,283 |
2,019 |
1,680 |
11,400 |
Animal health packaging |
444 |
105 |
124 |
76 |
750 |
Oil containers |
501 |
47 |
84 |
38 |
669 |
Miscellaneous packaging |
2,063 |
331 |
1,166 |
240 |
3,800 |
Total plastic packaging |
20,734 |
2,794 |
5,457 |
3,235 |
32,219 |
TOTAL PLASTIC WASTE |
|
|
|
|
135,725 |
The Government has introduced new regulations to apply waste management controls to agricultural waste for the first time that will affect about 137,000 farms in England and Wales from 15 May 2006. Prior to this, much of the non-natural waste arising on farms was either buried or burned in an uncontrolled manner.
Farmers and growers have identified plastic waste as a priority waste stream for which least-cost disposal and recovery options are needed. Plastic wastes arising on farms can be bulky and dirty, making management difficult. Waste facilities in rural areas are often lacking and consequently transport of wastes off-farm can be costly.
The Challenge of recovering Agricultural Waste Plastic
Agricultural plastic packaging represents approximately 1.5% of the overall volume of plastic packaging in the waste stream in England. Furthermore, there are over 120,000 farm holdings producing approximately 21,000 tonnes of plastic packaging and 65,000 tonnes of non-packaging plastic. Of this non-packaging plastic, over 40% is contaminant. The average quantity of plastic generated per holding (without contaminant) is approximately 0.5 tonnes per annum.
As a comparison, the average recycling bank for plastic bottles collects 0.2 tonnes of plastic per week, with associated collection costs of £150 per tonne. This puts in context the challenge of developing an economic and environmentally sustainable method of collecting agricultural plastic.
The Agricultural Waste Plastics Collection and Recovery Programme is a positive move to help tackle these issues, with the provision of good practice guidance and key contacts for both farmers and collection companies alike.