A second voluntary scheme for the collection of farm films in the UK has been announced by a group of plastic recyclers, just one month after another scheme was launched.
This week (18 November) several UK-based collectors of farm films launched a scheme which they said would further increase the volume of material collected.
The latest scheme claims to increase the collection rate of farm films without adding to the cost
The operators of the system – called ‘the UK Farm Plastic Responsibility Scheme’ (UKFPRS) – say there will be no additional cost to farmers and no levy on new products, and it will work on a “business as usual” basis in terms of collection.
The UKFPRS is in contrast to the APE UK scheme which sees £20 a tonne added to the sale cost of farm films, with the money going to a not-for-profit company, which organises the collections of films for free (see letsrecycle.com story).
UKFPRS
APE UK’s scheme last month claimed to have the “major manufacturers of non-packaging agri-plastics, representing 80% of the UK market” signed up.
However, the organisers of the latest UKFPRS scheme claim that adding a levy to this much of the market is problematic as ‘costs will always be rising’, and claim that the manufacturers won’t want to charge extra if 20% of the market isn’t doing so.
“The overheads of our proposed scheme are very low and will be paid for by the collectors”
UKFPRS say the responsibility scheme, which will launch by February 2020, will first look to get all the collectors together and provide audited totals of the quantity of farm plastic collected and recycled. At the moment, they say this is impossible as it is considered commercially sensitive.
APE UK estimate that around 44,000 tonnes of material is placed on the market each year, with around 35% of this recycled and say this figure is obtainable as they know what producers put onto the market through an independent solicitor, and also what some of the biggest recyclers in the UK handle.
As with the APE UK scheme, the UKFPRS will look to run education programmes with farmers to reduce contamination and make the material easier to recycle.
Collector
Speaking with letsrecycle.com, Mark Webb of Farm XS, one of the members of the new UKFPRS scheme, said: “The vast majority of farmers already have a collector for the material, and the existing system is working in terms of collection.
Farm films are essential to farmers to protect crops, but can be difficult to recycle
“The overheads of our proposed scheme are very low and will be paid for by the collectors. Our scheme will look to provide an audited process of what is being collected and recycled, so we know where we are. Then we can work on education programmes and ensure costs don’t spiral in years to come.”
It will mean farmers are able to choose collectors who are UKFPRS members when looking to dispose of material and will continue to pay a fee to have it collected in a “competitive market”.
Some of the companies behind the responsibility scheme are Solway, AgriCycle, Emerald Isle Recycle and Farm XS.
‘Mutual objective’
Carlo Banchero, UK project manager of the APE UK scheme, claimed that the UKFRS “only serves to achieve our mutual objective of increasing quantity of agricultural plastics collected”.
The two systems have been launched after previous efforts by the government to introduce an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for farm plastics were dropped in 2010, after the majority of respondents to a survey said no government intervention was needed (see letsrecycle.com story).
How realistic the two schemes are is expected to influence Defra thinking on whether it should consider a mandatory scheme for farm films as it looks to deliver extended producer responsibility measures for a variety of products.
Markets
Many collectors of farm films including those involved in the latest scheme have previously expressed concern in the past over the markets for farm films.
While many used to get paid by plastics recyclers for the material and also gained an income by charging for collection, they now face gate fees of £50 or more as the export markets tighten and become more difficult.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
