A Farm plastic recycling scheme is currently being set up to operate in Somerset, Exmoor, East Devon and parts of Dorset.

Farmers and landowners are being invited to bring two types of waste plastic, including silage bags, clamp sheet and small feed bags, to one of the 14 collection centres operating on certain days in January and early February.

The waste is collected in large skips and transported to South Wales, where it is reprocessed and returned to the plastics industry.

The recycling scheme this winter follows a pilot recycling scheme that FWAG successfully operated in Somerset during spring 2005. This proved to be very popular with farmers, with 320 tonnes of plastic being collected from more than 260 farmers. The recycling scheme is currently funded by grants from many organizations including the Waste and Resources Action Programme and local authorities.

Farmers are being asked to keep the two different types of plastic separate when it is being delivered to the collection centres, as these are treated in different ways by the reprocessor. Silage wrap, clamp sheet and small feedbags go in one recycling stream, while netting, string and woven fertilizer or dumpy bags go into a second stream. A charge of between £20-40 plus VAT per load is made to farmers delivering plastic, but they will receive a document certifying their participation in the scheme.

"We are very encouraged by the number of farmers taking up the opportunity to recycle their waste plastic film and netting through these collection centres" said Roland Stonex, FWAG's manager of the recycling scheme. "With the new waste management regulations likely to come into force in early 2006, farmers will no longer be able to burn or bury their waste plastic on the farm. Recycling schemes, such as this one by Somerset FWAG, offer farmers a practical and environmentally responsible method for disposal of their waste plastic."

FWAG are hoping that the collection centres will be operating again in April and May, at the end of the winter season, and are currently seeking sources of funding.