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The Use and Recycling of Agricultural Plastic Mulch in China: A Review

Sustainability 2023 33 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Hongguang Yang, Zhichao Hu, Feng Wu, Feng Wu, Kai Guo, Fengwei Gu, Mingzhu Cao

Summary

This review examines the widespread use of plastic mulch in Chinese agriculture, where adoption ranks first globally, along with the severe farmland pollution caused by residual plastic film. Researchers summarize the types of mulch used, the environmental damage from accumulation in soil, and current recycling practices. The study discusses government policies and farmer practices aimed at addressing plastic mulch pollution and offers reference points for other countries facing similar challenges.

The use of plastic film for mulching cultivation is an important agricultural production technology, which plays an important role in achieving agricultural yield increase and farmers’ income increase. China’s use of plastic mulch ranks first in the world, and China is also the country with the most severe residual plastic mulch pollution in farmland. It is of great significance to have a comprehensive understanding of the use and resource recycling of plastic mulch in China. As a result, this article reviews the recent advances in the use and recycling of plastic mulch in China. First, the types and characteristics of commonly used agricultural plastic mulch are introduced. Then, the development process and application situation of plastic mulch in China are mainly summarized, and the problems of farmland soil and environmental pollution caused by residual plastic mulch are discussed. Finally, the current situation, main practices, and existing problems of waste plastic mulch recycling in China’s farmland are explained in detail from the perspectives of government policy formulation and farmer practice. The research in this article will play an important role in further solving the problem of plastic mulch pollution in farmland soil in China and can also provide a reference for other countries.

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