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Assessment of agricultural plastic waste generation and sustainable management strategies
Summary
This paper quantifies the volume and types of plastic waste generated across agricultural sectors and proposes sustainable management frameworks to address the growing problem. It evaluates current disposal practices—including burning and landfilling—and identifies strategies such as collection programs and recycling pathways to reduce environmental contamination from farm plastics.
An estimated 12.5 million tonnes of plastic enter agricultural systems worldwide each year, yet the fate of these materials after a single growing season remains poorly tracked at the farm level. This research quantified plastic waste generation across six major cropping systems in the Jiangsu Province of China and evaluated three management pathways: mechanical recycling, biodegradable film substitution, and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs. Field surveys and waste audits were carried out on 120 farms between March and November 2023. Mulch film was the dominant waste type, contributing 34.7% of total plastic mass. Vegetable production generated the highest seasonal plastic load at 38.4 kg ha⁻¹ during summer. Mechanical recycling recovered 61.3% of collected film by weight, though contamination with soil and crop residue reduced pellet quality by 27.8% compared to virgin resin. Biodegradable mulch alternatives showed 89.2% mass loss within 180 days under field conditions but cost 2.4 times more than conventional polyethylene film. EPR pilot programs in two counties achieved a 43.6% collection rate, roughly double the baseline rate of 21.8%. A combined strategy pairing biodegradable films for short-cycle crops with recycling networks for durable plastics appeared most promising, projecting a 58.7% reduction in residual agricultural plastic waste.