J.P. Jouët, Secretary General CIPA and J. Gratraud, CEMAGREF

Abstract:  The elimination of plastic film waste is a very important problem in areas where they are used intensively in agriculture e.g. market gardening, especially in tourist region. Burning the film in the field is common practice and is often forbidden. Until 2002, another common means of disposal is the refuse dump. Tomorrow, incineration and polyethylene recycling will be the legal mean of elimination. Incineration has not been adopted on a large scale. Nevertheless, the technical aspect is presented in this paper. Nowadays, disposal by polyethylene recycling is developing. Polyethylene recycling factories appear in regions where the Environmental and Energy Control Agency (ADEME) subsidies them. Generally, plastic film wastes are very dirty when disposed of, so factories need special washing facilities. Since film wastes have a low density, when they are handled in bulk for transportation, big volume trucks equipped with a grappling arms are needed. The recycling price is also very variable. For example, in Langudoc  Roussillon area, for all agricultural plastic films (mainly mulching and small tunnel films), the cost is about 300 FHT/T of dirty plastic. In this price, transportation and manufacturing are included. The disposal of plastic films,  demands coordination by some organization. Plastic film disposal must comply with the same regulations as the other forms of domestic waste disposal but a definite system of elimination has not yet been chosen for agricultural plastic films. It might be along the lines of "green point" system, or it could be elimination by the owner, in accordance with the environmental law. The Environmental and Energy Control Agency (ADEME) is conducting a study in order to propose a disposal system for agricultural plastic films, and how to finance such an organisation.

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