Plastics in agriculture have opened up a world of opportunities resulting in increased productivity and efficiencies throughout the sector. Agricultural plastics can be attributed to reducing man-hours on farm, reducing chemical sprays, retaining soil moisture and lowering food production wastage. However, the long term environmental sustainability of using plastics has rightfully undergone reassessment by farmers, government and the community at large.
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) and its industry members take seriously our environmental stewardship role and are committed to a sustainable and low impact agricultural sector. That is why QFF will continue to work with the sector in closing the plasticulture loop to fulfil our duty as custodians of the land.
Of the many plastics used in agriculture, about one-third can be readily recycled, for example, ‘clean plastics’ such as trickle tapes and plastic packaging. However, plastic products such as mulches and silage wrap are often contaminated with soil and residual plant vegetation with this contamination accounting for up to 70 per cent by weight. Besides creating storage and transportation complications, the contamination results in higher collection and processing costs, making the end-of-life plastics unattractive to recyclers.
QFF industry members and the Queensland government in association with the recycling sector are working to overcome these barriers and develop processes and technologies that demonstrate both cost and environmentally efficient reprocessing for waste agricultural plastics.
The Sugar Cane Fertiliser Bag Recovery Trial started in September 2015 to test the feasibility of recovering fertiliser bags from properties. The trial is administered by Farm Waste Recovery (www.farmwasterecovery.com) and supported by Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage and QFF member Canegrowers. The trial was rolled out with collaboration from fertiliser manufacturers Incitec Pivot and Impact Fertilisers, various local governments (who provided 23 local collection points accessible by local sugar cane farmers), and local plastic processors. During the first 12 months, the trial collected and recycled over 500 tonnes of plastic – equivalent to more than 150,000 fertiliser bags. This is enough plastic to manufacture over 2600 park benches.
QFF is exploring other plastics recycling opportunities that recognise the market barriers and provide solutions that are widely accessible to the agricultural sector. Exciting new opportunities may lie with the development of products like photodegradable, biodegradable, and paper mulches. Further development and standardisation of these materials are still required for Queensland’s various agricultural crops and climates.
QFF commends the government for its initial investment in plastic recycling projects such as the Sugar Cane Fertiliser Bag Recovery Trial, which assist farm businesses to more effectively manage these materials at end of life. After the success of these initial projects, it is essential that government and industry continue to invest time and resources into making a difference how the sector uses and recycles plastics. With a changing cultural attitude internally and externally and with new technologies on the horizon, it is essential we seize this momentum and truly deliver upon environmental stewardship responsibilities.
Farmers are Queensland’s frontline environmentalists. They manage 83pc (almost 144 million hectares) of the state’s valuable land resources. Natural resource management is a fundamental activity, as farmers know that good environmental outcomes and increased agricultural production go hand in hand, and they have the most to lose should the environment become damaged.
