What was it all about?
This project investigated how best to deal with plastic waste from vegetable farms. The research team conducted a literature review and engaged with the industry, growers, plastic providers and plastic processors to:
- Determine the key sources, management, volume and cost of on-farm plastic by state and growing region
- Identify different plastic processing opportunities, together with financial costs and benefits and the logistics of each option
- Assess the feasibility of available and emerging processing opportunities for on-farm plastic waste.
Researchers found that all producers have to manage on-farm plastics to some extent.
The work focussed on the following products:
- Irrigation pipe
- Plastic mulch sheeting
- Polytunnels and protective housing
- Trays e.g. seedlings, bed trays
- Chemical containers.
The researchers concluded that:
- The quantity of plastic used in the agricultural sector is a small component (4 per cent) of overall national plastic consumption
- Use of plastic varies with the type of crop produced and therefore by region
- There are six types of plastic to be considered, each with particular characteristics including varying lifespans
- The main plastics considered a problem to growers are plastic mulch and drip line irrigation, which are annual use plastics that occur in large volumes where they are used
- It is illegal to burn or bury plastic waste although landfill is an option for some growers
- The cost-effectiveness of recycling is determined by how close producers are to plastic processing facilities or ports, and other factors such as the international plastic prices
- There are also technological barriers to recycling some key plastics, particularly plastic mulch, although a number of technological advancements may improve the situation
- The development of a photodegradable plastic mulch product has practical limitations as well as questions about its performance, and requires further development
- A lack of understanding by processors about on-farm plastic, and by growers about plastics collectors operating in their area, is another barrier, but the recently developed FARM MUSTER program may help.
