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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Agricultural Plastic Waste Management
ClearTowards a Sustainable Future: Advancing an Integrated Approach for the Recycling and Valorization of Agricultural Plastics
This review surveys current methods for recycling and valorizing agricultural plastics—films, mulches, and greenhouse covers—highlighting that inadequate end-of-life management leads to soil and water contamination and eventual microplastic formation. A more integrated, circular approach to agricultural plastic design and disposal is needed to prevent these materials from fragmenting into persistent environmental pollutants.
Agricultural plastics and environmental sustainability: Assessment and remediation strategies
This review examines the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of agricultural plastics including mulch films, irrigation pipes, and greenhouse covers, and evaluates management strategies such as recycling, composting, biodegradable alternatives, and circular economy models for reducing microplastic accumulation.
Dealing with Plastic Waste from Agriculture Activity
This review examines plastic waste generated by agricultural activities in Portugal and Europe — including mulch films, greenhouse covers, and irrigation tubing — and evaluates current recycling rates, contamination barriers, and strategies for improving plastic recovery from farming operations.
Environmental fate and effects of mulch films on agricultural soil: A systematic review from application to residual impact
This systematic review examines how plastic mulch films used in agriculture break down over time and release microplastics into farm soil. The films improve crop growth but create lasting environmental damage as plastic fragments accumulate and alter soil properties. The findings underscore the importance of developing truly biodegradable alternatives to protect farmland from microplastic pollution.
iMulch: an investigation of the influence of polymers on a terrestrial ecosystem using the example of mulch films used in agriculture
This research project studied how plastic mulch films used in farming break down into microplastics in soil, comparing conventional polyethylene films with biodegradable alternatives. The findings show that both types of mulch release microplastic particles into agricultural soil, though they behave differently in the environment, raising questions about the true sustainability of biodegradable farm plastics.
Agricultural Plastic Mulch: A Brief Review of Development, Composition and Catalytic Upcycling Strategies
This review examines the environmental impact of agricultural plastic mulch film, which has led to significant microplastic accumulation in farm soils worldwide. Researchers evaluate various catalytic upcycling technologies including photocatalysis and thermocatalysis that can convert waste mulch into useful hydrocarbon resources with near-complete efficiency. The study also assesses the progress and remaining challenges of biodegradable mulch alternatives for sustainable agriculture.
Environmental fate and effects of mulch films on agricultural soil: A systematic review from application to residual impact
This systematic review traces the full lifecycle of plastic mulch films used in farming, from application to breakdown in soil. While these films boost crop yields, they leave behind persistent residues that fragment into microplastics, potentially contaminating soil and groundwater. The review highlights the need for biodegradable alternatives to reduce long-term microplastic accumulation in agricultural land.
Microplastics accumulation in agricultural soil: Evidence for the presence, potential effects, extraction, and current bioremediation approaches
This review examines the accumulation of microplastics in agricultural soils from sources like plastic mulching and irrigation, discussing their effects on soil properties and crop growth, along with current bioremediation approaches for removing soil microplastics.
Plastic Mulch Films in Agriculture: Their Use, Environmental Problems, Recycling and Alternatives
This review examines how plastic mulch films used in farming break down into microplastics and nanoplastics that contaminate soil, harm soil organisms, and can enter the human body through the food chain. While developed countries are making progress with recycling and biodegradable alternatives, the health effects of nanoplastics from agricultural plastic remain largely unknown. Better collection, recycling, and alternative materials are needed to reduce this growing source of plastic pollution.
Are agricultural plastic covers a source of plastic debris in soil? A first screening study
This screening study investigated whether polyethylene and polypropylene agricultural plastic covers (mulch films) shed microplastic particles into the soil beneath them. Results confirmed that these widely used agricultural plastics do break down and release microplastics, contributing to soil contamination on farmland.
Management of agricultural plastic waste in Portugal to prevent microplastics
This study assessed agricultural plastic waste management practices in Portugal and their role in generating soil micro- and nanoplastics. Poor management of plastic mulches and other agricultural films was identified as a significant and preventable source of persistent soil contamination.
Mapping of Agricultural Plastics Pollution in Soil: case study of Italy, France and Norway
Researchers developed an atlas quantifying and localizing agricultural plastic waste in Italy, France, and Norway, finding that plastic mulch films and other agricultural plastics accumulate in soils and generate microplastic contamination that varies significantly by crop type, climate, and waste management practices.
Agricultural mulch films as soil microplastic contamination factor
This review examines agricultural mulch films as a source of soil microplastic contamination, summarizing evidence on degradation rates, particle accumulation in soil profiles, and impacts on soil properties and biological communities over time.
Microplastics in Agricultural Soil and Their Impact: A Review
This review examines how microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils through sources like plastic mulch films, sewage sludge, and fertilizers. The particles can affect soil structure, microbial activity, and plant health, with common polymer types including polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene found across farmland. The study emphasizes the need for better plastic waste management to protect agricultural ecosystems from growing microplastic contamination.
Ecological risks of microplastics contamination with green solutions and future perspectives
This review covers the ecological risks of microplastic contamination in farmland, particularly from plastic mulch films used in agriculture. Microplastics in soil affect water retention, nutrient cycling, microbial communities, and even greenhouse gas emissions. The authors discuss green solutions like biodegradable alternatives and soil remediation techniques that could reduce microplastic buildup in the food production system.
Impact of plastic mulching as a major source of microplastics in agroecosystems
This review examines how plastic mulch films used in agriculture break down into microplastics over time, making farmland a major source of soil microplastic pollution. The accumulated microplastics can alter soil properties, affect plant growth, and be taken up by crops that humans eat. The study highlights the need for better end-of-life management of agricultural plastics and more research on how farm-sourced microplastics enter the food chain.
A Review of Microplastic Contamination in Agriculture: Sources, Impacts, and Solutions
This review examines the sources, occurrence, and impacts of microplastic pollution in agriculture, including degradation of mulch films, contaminated sewage sludge, and polymer-coated agrochemicals. Researchers highlight evidence that crops can take up microplastics, creating a direct pathway for food chain contamination. The study calls for standardized analytical methods and a comprehensive mitigation strategy based on refusing, redesigning, reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering agricultural plastics.
Improvement of crop and soil management practices through mulching for enhancement of soil fertility and environmental sustainability: A review
This review examined mulching practices in agriculture as a strategy for improving soil fertility, water retention, and crop yields, while also noting that plastic mulch films generate persistent microplastic contamination in agricultural soils. The authors discussed biodegradable mulch alternatives and best management practices for reducing plastic residues.
Microplastics in Agriculture- a Review
This review examines the growing presence of microplastics in agricultural environments, covering their sources from plastic mulch films and irrigation water, their effects on soil health and crop quality, and the implications for food safety and sustainable agriculture.
Plastic Mulch‐Derived Microplastics in Agricultural Soil Systems
This review examines how plastic mulch films widely used in agriculture degrade via photodegradation, chemical processes, and microbial activity to form microplastics, and discusses how these microplastics affect soil properties, plant growth, soil microbiomes, and broader agricultural ecosystem health.
On the quest for novel bio-degradable plastics for agricultural field mulching
This review examined the challenge of developing biodegradable plastic mulch materials suitable for agricultural use, noting that plasticulture consumes about 6.7 million tons of plastic annually, most of which cannot be practically recycled. The authors assessed candidate biodegradable polymers based on their degradation rates in soil, mechanical performance, and cost.
Potentials of synthetic biodegradable mulch for improved livelihoods on smallholder farmers: a systematic review
This systematic review evaluates biodegradable mulch as an alternative to conventional plastic mulch in farming, which is a major source of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils. Switching to biodegradable options could help reduce the buildup of microplastics in the soil where food crops are grown.
Microplastics in Agricultural Soils
This review covers the presence of microplastics in agricultural soils, examining how plastic mulches, irrigation water, sewage sludge, and atmospheric deposition contribute to farmland contamination. It discusses effects on soil organisms and the risk of microplastics entering the food chain through crops.
From plastic mulching to microplastic pollution : An effect assessment of microplastics in the soil-plant system
This review assessed how plastic mulching films contribute to agricultural microplastic pollution, finding that biodegradable alternatives rarely fully degrade under field conditions and instead fragment into microplastics, with both LDPE and biodegradable microplastics producing measurable ecological effects in soil-plant systems.