New legislation, designed to protect the environment, means that the disposal of agricultural waste on farms will be controlled - no more burying or burning waste plastics. As a new service to Cornwall’s farmers, Kernow Farm Plastics has launched a collection scheme for waste farm plastic.

Kernow Farm Plastics has joined forces with Solway Recycling, who have been collecting farm plastic in Scotland and Northern England for over 20 years. Using Solway’s successful Bin and Liner system, waste farm plastic is collected from the farm and stored locally before being transported to Solway for re-processing. and recycling, which is all carried out in the UK.

The Solway ‘Bin & Liner’ system is a cylindrical bin about 4ft across and 4ft 6in. high, made from recycled plastic. A thick polythene liner is placed in the bin and a lid secured on top keeping the plastic dry, to reduce weight. The bin provides the structure and ability to be able to pack the maximum possible volume of plastic in to the liner. The liners can be used alone, although it’s not possible to pack as much plastic in without the structure of the bin. Plastic stored in these liners, for subsequent collection by Kernow Farm Plastics, stays dry and prevents any contaminated runoff. The liners provide safe storage on the farm prior to collection, enabling an efficient service with minimal waste handling.

After the initial outlay for the bins and liners there is a single charge for each liner collected. Kernow Farm Plastics  is a registered waste carrier, and provides the farmer with a Waste Transfer Note, to show he has complied with the legislation. For further details about the environmental regulations click here to access the Environment Agency website.