Bpi.recycled products help plastics get a second lease of life

Two months has passed since the new farm waste regulations came into force and bpi.recycled products partnership with Birch Farm Plastic is going from strength to strength.

Since the government announced the Agricultural Waste Regulations would come into effect on 15th May, Birch Farm Plastic, based in Wales, has brought over 100 tonnes per week of used plastic to bpi’s recycling facility in Dumfries.

In order to meet the growing demand, bpi.recycled products has recently invested £2 million in a second wash plant which will double capacity at its Dumfries facility from 15,000 to 30,000 tonnes of agricultural waste plastic. The investment was made in response to the growing pressure from the agricultural industry for outlets to recycle their waste plastic.

This year bpi.recycled products has worked alongside its sister company, bpi.agri, producer of premier balewrap product, Silotite, to inform farmers and contractors of how to prepare waste plastic for collection, and of the useful end applications there are for waste plastic material once it has been through the recycling process. Working together at seminars and balewrapping clinics across the UK, both companies have provided practical advice and demonstrations to customers.

bpi.recycled products is the largest polythene recycler in Europe and has reprocessed the farm plastic waste collected through the IFFPG scheme for several years.

Birch Farm Plastic is a family run business and has been collecting waste plastic from farmers and contractors in Wales and the Border counties for over 16 years. The business has recently expanded its operations across the UK after it acknowledged there would be an increase in demand for a reliable collection system.

Ken Oswin, Operations Director at bpi.recycled products commented, “We are really pleased with the high levels of waste plastic that has been brought into us by Birch Farm Plastics. The new regulations have required Farmers and Agricultural Contractors to consider how they will comply in the most cost-effective manner - collection schemes such as that offered by Birch Farm Plastic can help them do this by advising on waste preparation and storage.

Ken continues “Our site at Dumfries has been in operation for several years during which time we have gained much expertise in this area. The recent investment means we can handle a higher quantity of waste plastic and meet the growing demand from customers.”

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Editors’ notes

BPI is the largest producer of polythene film products in Europe and a leading producer of agricultural and horticultural plastic films which it sells worldwide. BPI is also the largest recycler of polythene film in Europe.

BPI established their recycling facility in Dumfries in 1995 to recycle waste arising from the Farm Film Producers’ Group. This was a voluntary industry scheme set up by the major producers and suppliers of farm films into the UK market. This was a levy based scheme where an Environmental Protection Contribution of £100/tonne was applied to the sale of silage wrap to fund its eventual recycling. In its first year of operation the scheme collected 4,000 tonnes of waste plastic from 5,000 farms across the UK. The scheme collapsed in 1996 when two importers chose not to pay the levy as a way of undercutting the market to gain market share.

Since 1996 the plant at Dumfries has recycled agricultural waste plastic predominantly from overseas, principally from the Irish Republic, States of Jersey, Norway, Benelux and Germany.

Dumfries recycles mainly used silage wrap and sheet but can also recycle crop covers, mulch films, tunnel greenhouse films, tree guards, plastic cores and animal feed sacks. It is evaluating the viability of recycling fertiliser sacks and rigid containers.

Dumfries recycles these materials into its range of award-winning Plaswood sustainable wood-substitute products which are used as park and garden furniture, street and countryside signs, bollards and marine decking.

Birch Farm Plastics is a family business based in Wales owned and run by farmers who have been collecting waste farm plastic since 1990. They have established a network of local farmers which optimise collection routes throughout Wales and have recently begun to spread their system throughout the rest of the UK. Birch Farm Plastics is currently collecting plastic waste from over 4,000 farms in Wales and the Border Counties.


DATE: 29/09/2006

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