Disposal of farm plastics

- Royal Agricultural College, 23 June 2005

Agritel’s Sales Director John Morgan addressed a meeting of the Rural Enterprise Gateway Cotswold Waste Group held at the Royal Agricultural College recently. The meeting reviewed the implications of The Waste Framework Directive for farm waste disposal, and explored various schemes and future options for farmers and growers.

One of the problems highlighted at the meeting is the potential for misidentification of the weight of plastic ready for collection from the farm for reprocessing. Plastic looks bulky but is not that heavy, making it difficult to operate collection vehicles cost-effectively.

Susan Bamber’s meeting report states: “One way to overcome the problem of misidentification of weight of the plastic is to bale the plastic. Agritel sells machines that can bale plastic into a compressed form, of a known weight. Agritel is certified as a waste broker and can … make sure the customer’s farm is fully environmentally compliant with the new directive.”

For a full report on the meeting, click here.
Follow the link for information about Agritel’s range of waste balers.

Less is more: Agritel's solution for farm waste plastic disposal

- 10 June 2005

A strong contingent of farmers and agricultural contractors turned out for Agritel's demonstrations of waste plastic balers last month. The Agri-mac V400 was the centre of attention and its performance certainly did not fail to impress.

"Although we always explain that the balers reduce waste volume by up to 90%, there's nothing quite like seeing the plastic disappearing before your very eyes!" said Agritel's Sales Director, John Morgan. "It's surprising how quickly a very large volume of waste plastic can be reduced to a single, readily-transportable bale."

The Agri-mac V400 produces a 500kg bale within one hour and, as Morgan explains, offers a cost-effective solution for farm waste management: "The total amount of waste plastic produced annually by the average farm can be compressed into one or, at most, two bales; this drastically reduces the cost of removal compared to handling loose plastic.

"If a group of ten farms bought a baler between them, we estimate that the farmers' expenditure on disposal could be halved, including the once-only cost of the baler. It would very quickly pay for itself."

The waste baler also offers a business opportunity for contractors, either by providing on-site baling services or by hiring out the machine.


The Agri-mac V250 is a smaller, more readily-transportable waste baler, producing 150 - 425kg bales. Both machines are simple to operate and robustly engineered to meet the demands of on-farm use.


"It's quick to load and operate the baler," adds Morgan, "especially if the waste is ready to go. And, as our visitors quickly realised, the process becomes even quicker if you are mindful of the need to minimise contamination and, as plastic accumulates throughout the year, handle it accordingly.

For more information, contact Agritel on 01691 671496.

Agritel acknowledges the support of Mr Simon Sturrock and Messrs G F Kempster & Sons who hosted the demonstrations.