Reading University demo highlights difficulties in assessing volumes of waste

A Shropshire industrial and agricultural packaging supply business has received support from Reading University's Centre for Dairy Research (CEDAR) in response to a recent demonstration on the disposal of waste plastic.

Oswestry based Agritel organised the demonstration at the University in conjunction with East Berks Contracting – who have close links with the establishment. The event highlighted how un-manageable quantities of either silage or feed type bags can be compressed into a mill sized bale as an economic, environmental and time saving way forward for farmers and farm contractors involved in the disposal process.

John Duffus, managing director at Agritel, said: "Although the imposition of environmental legislation on waste plastic disposal has been deferred until the beginning of December, the issue is still very important. Baling as opposed to filling skips with refuse is environmentally friendly and more cost effective. What may look like two tonnes of plastic in a skip, because of the physical space it takes up, is in reality often only 300 or 400 kilos. Therefore, basing disposal costs on volume rather than weight can result in farmers paying far more than they should to recycle their plastic. Also, uncompressed plastic can contain large quantities of water which is mostly removed by baling, keeping weight and hence recycling costs to a minimum. The demonstration at Reading University went very well and to receive their support is very encouraging."

James Lamburn, farms manager at Reading University CEDAR said: "Baling has the long term potential of reducing costs, especially with ever increasing landfill prices and transport costs. It has huge implications for when the eventual ban on burning waste becomes law. In terms of farm health and safety, once a bale is complete it can be stored in a tidy, safe and sensible manner until collection for recycling. I was also surprised by the sheer quantity of plastic required to make just one bale! It is important to ensure farmers and contractors are aware of the benefits to be gained through using this process."