Author: Mark Smulian
Farmers are burning agricultural plastics illegally because of regulatory loopholes and lack of monitoring, the Environmental Investigations Agency (EIA) has said. It said mismanagement of agriplastic waste occurred across the UK food supply chain, with farms producing 135,500 tonnes a year of contaminated agricultural plastic waste. The EIA – an international body that monitors waste crime mainly in relation to wildlife – cited data from the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management that only 20-30% of farm plastic is reprocessed while the rest is disposed of, including by illegal burning, burying, dumping or export.