A COMING together of some of the UK’s main farm plastic collectors means that most farm plastic will end up being recycled.

This joint initiative has led to the creation of the Green Tractor Scheme, which has brought together most of the UK’s farm plastic collectors, with the core aim being to increase the proportion of farm plastic that is recycled.

The ‘green’ aims of the scheme, which covers both packaging and non-packaging plastics, also include providing properly audited totals of the quantity of farm plastic collected, increasing the volume and quality of plastic recycled and helping farmers to reduce contamination within their waste plastic.

The scheme works for everyone involved in farm plastic as it offers the supply chain assistance with corporate responsibility in relation to plastics they put into the market. Collector members are talking to government and other bodies about helping to increase recycling capacity in the UK as more capacity is needed to cope with the increasing plastic supply.

The scheme, which is open to all UK farm plastic collectors operates on a not for profit basis and is funded by the collector-members. There is no additional cost to farmers and no levy payable on new plastic products.

It has a longer term ambition to provide UK agriculture with the ability to recycle all farm plastic packaging by 2030.

A survey carried out by the scheme, covering about 80% of its members, showed that 19,974 tonnes of plastic was collected in 2018 and 24,149 tonnes was collected in 2019. Most of the plastic was sent for recycling, with only 4% going to landfill.

Mark Webb, Chairman of UK Farm Plastic Recycling Scheme, which manages the Green Tractor Scheme, commented: “The year on year rise in the figures is encouraging when you take into account the considerable difficulties in the recycling markets over the last couple of years.

“We are not complacent and know there is more plastic to collect. Our biggest challenge, and the one thing that holds all of our members back, is still the woeful lack of overall recycling capacity in the UK. We can collect the material but, if it’s not to be landfilled, it has to have recycling facilities to go to.”

The scheme, which is open to all UK farm plastic collectors, operates on a not for profit basis and is funded by the collectors. There is no additional cost to farmers and no levy on new plastic products.

Green Tractor Scheme collector members can be identified by their use of the Green Tractor logo.

The Green Tractor Scheme aims to:

Provide audited totals of the quantity of farm plastic collected and recycled

Further increase the volume and quality of plastic recycled

Educate farmers to reduce contamination within their waste plastic

Provide the supply chain with corporate responsibility re plastics they put into the market

Assist with exploiting new technology for the reprocessing of farm plastic

Lobby government and other bodies as required for support to increase plastic recycling facilities within the UK