Filenews 7 November 2024
Regulations tabled before Parliament put an end to the burning of plastics used by farmers, who will be obliged to hand them over to authorized companies for management.
In a text accompanying the regulations, it is stated that uncontrolled dumping and burning of waste plastic agricultural products pollutes soil, water, atmosphere, enhances the greenhouse effect, seriously harms human health and degrades the aesthetics of the landscape.
The same text also mentions that these negative impacts on health and the environment created the need to create a special legal framework for the effective management of waste plastic agricultural products.
The aim is to prevent and reduce the impact of waste agricultural plastic products on the environment and human health, as well as saving natural resources. At the same time, recycling promotes the transition to a circular economy (with innovative and sustainable business models, products and materials), thus contributing to the efficient functioning of the internal market.
The officials note that there is no alternative to waste management and indicate that until now the only way to manage waste plastic agricultural products has been incineration, which caused great nuisance to the environment.
More than ten plastic products to be managed include:
(a) Greenhouse covering materials: nylon of polyethylene or other plastic, PVC covering plastics, perennial plastic shading networks, annual covering networks (tulles), thermal curtains
(b) Soil covering materials for greenhouses: nylon of polyethylene or other plastic, perennial mulch, polyethylene nylon for chemical disinfection, polyethylene nylon for sun disinfection
(c) water tank membranes and covering membranes
(d) crop support materials: plastic spools, twine and support nets
(e) silage nylons, twine and nets used for tying hay bales;
(f) Hydroponics substrate bases
(g) nylon greenhouse heating air heater pipes
(h) irrigation hoses and irrigation fittings
(i) plastic support pipes for low covers (low tunnels)
(j) insect protection networks, shading networks, anti-hail networks
(k) olive harvesting networks
Under the regulations, any farmer or other producer of agricultural plastic waste and/or other holder of agricultural plastic waste must separate this waste at source and deliver it to a collection point.
At the same time, producers of plastic agricultural products have the responsibility, within twelve months from the entry into force of the Regulations, to collectively ensure the organization and operation of collective waste management systems for plastic agricultural products.
Furthermore, they must:
-Prevent the generation of waste plastic agricultural products by limiting the total volume of such waste and limiting its harmful impact on the environment and human health;
-Allow farmers and/or original producers of waste plastic agricultural products and/or other holders of waste plastic agricultural products to separate such waste at source and dispose of it in such a way that it can be collected separately
-Achieve the separate collection of all waste plastic products for agricultural use, if they fall within the scope of these Regulations, from whatever source they come from*
-Ensure the transfer of waste plastic agricultural products to licensed management facilities, in order to achieve the quantitative targets set out in the Regulation.
-Ensure that producers and distributors of plastic agricultural products as well as farmers and/or initial producers of waste plastic agricultural products and/or other holders of waste plastic agricultural products are informed and trained for the proper management of such waste
-Ensure the establishment, availability and accessibility of the necessary collection points for waste plastic agricultural products, fixed and/or mobile, to which the farmer or farmer and/or their original producer and/or other holder can deliver them free of charge
The Regulations do not apply to plastic products for agricultural use that fall under the term "packaging", within the meaning attributed to this term in Article 2 of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Law.
Any farmer and/or other initial producer of waste plastics for agricultural use and/or another holder of waste plastic agricultural products must separate such waste at source and have it delivered to a collection point.
