Witham Supports Sustainable Solution For Agricultural Plastic Waste

Over the last 20 years, an increasing tonnage of used farm plastic has been collected and treated. There has also been increasing development within the packaging sector to reduce the use of virgin polymer in the manufacture of new products. Typical polythene animal feed and fertilizer sacks manufactured today, have 50% less material used in their production, when compared with the first polythene sacks entering the market. Other innovation includes the use of recycled polymer in the production of new silage covers, which can contain up to 90% recycled content. Other factors that have helped to reduce the tonnage of plastics used, include the general move to bulk ibc’s, away from smaller 25 and 50kg sacks.

Other recent innovations driving markets for recycled product, which are key to increasing recycling rates for collected material, include the switch to bale wrap manufactured from transparent film. Clear bale wrap that has been collected for recycling has much larger markets, therefore helping to provide sustainability for this important animal feed packaging.

Although agricultural plastics only represent 3% of the total plastics used in the UK, it is important that this high profile sector continues to improve producer responsibility. Plastics provide important benefits to the sector in the terms of efficient food production, but it is essential that responsibility for the recycling of this product is shared across the sector, and all used products that are no longer required are treated in line with best practice.

The Green Tractor Scheme provides sustainable solutions for plastic used across all sectors of agriculture in the UK. The scheme is primarily focused on the collection and processing of waste farm plastic and their ambition is to provide UK agriculture with the ability to recycle all farm plastic by 2030.

Objectives

• 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 for the plastic 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 Operations
• The Green Tractor Scheme is operated by UK farm plastic collectors in partnership with a sector wide group of stakeholders
• The Green Tractor Scheme operates on a not for profit basis, with the membership fees used to meet the schemes’ objectives

Membership

There are 5 types of Membership Categories:

1. Farmer member. Free membership to any UK farm business using a Green Tractor collector to recycle their farm plastic.
2. Collector member. Open to all current collectors, and new collectors subject to board approval. Annual membership fees as appropriate.
3. Affiliated membership. Open to all non-suppliers of farm plastic, NGO etc. Membership fees not applicable.
4. Supplier Membership. Open to all businesses supplying plastic in any form to UK agriculture. Annual fee applicable, including free use of The Green Tractor logo.
5. Premier Membership. Open to all businesses supplying plastic in any form to UK agriculture, who would like to have a high level association with the scheme. Annual fee applicable, including free use of The Green Tractor logo. Various corporate packages available POA.

Sarah Colgan, the Green Tractor Scheme’s new Marketing and Media Executive has been taken on board to help promote the scheme within waste collectors, farmers and agricultural users of plastic waste, the UK Government, to try and get the GTS as a kitemark of excellence, education with agricultural colleges and students. She explained:

For the last 15+ years our members have provided a national network of collection services for agricultural plastics for recycling. Last year we collected over 25,000 tonnes of plastic from a customer base of in excess of 20,000 farms throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England. Our members provided the vast majority if not all of the 10,000+ tonnes recycled through the APE UK scheme last year.

Over the last 12 months our members have assisted the APE UK scheme and have supplied it with plastic. To ensure our continued autonomy and to provide the best value for our customers the Green Tractor Scheme and its members will remain independent from APE UK. We are prepared to supply plastic to the APE UK scheme on the basis that they are another outlet in an open competitive market.

For the last 2 years APE has sought to charge a levy of £20 per tonne on plastics supplied to farmers. That price covered the gate fees, where charged, for recycling silage film. APE now seek to increase their levy to £60 per tonne and to continue charging a levy on other products which already have a positive value for recycling, all whilst the market value of used silage film and other plastics is rising. We believe this increase is unnecessary and we do not support it, particularly at a moment when all other costs for farmers are rising sharply.

We are also aware that a significant proportion of the levy raised by APE is spent on its own administration. The Green Tractor Scheme is committed to increasing both the volume and quality of farm plastics that are forwarded for recycling and operates on a not for profit basis being entirely funded by its collector and industry members. The Green Tractor Scheme is open to all UK farm plastic collectors, our membership includes all of the UK’s biggest independent collectors and, under the terms of the scheme, all farmers who are customers of Green Tractor collectors are automatically farmer members of the Scheme. The Green Tractor Scheme adds no additional costs to farmers and no levy on new plastic products.

Witham Group are members of the scheme and are keen to actively promote its attraction to our customers and the lubricant industry throughout the UK. At this year’s Lincolnshire Show, we welcomed Sarah Colgan onto our stand and help explain the concept to all our customers visiting us over the two days.

Nigel Bottom Witham Group MD, added

“This scheme is a no brainer in terms of doing the right thing with inevitable plastic waste. This should become the recognised standard of agricultural waste in the UK and the scheme and its trustees has our full support. We were delighted to host Sarah on our stand recently at the Lincolnshire Show to help promote how plastic waste can be collected, processed and recycled to make other products. The scheme is extremely easy to get signed up to. If you are not a member already, please do email them and start the ball rolling.”

Witham Group is actively encouraging all our customers to become members of the scheme so please be aware of our support and visit The Green Tractor Scheme website for more information, or contact them by email.