Waste firm launches farm agricultural bale wrap amnesty

Farmers are being urged to collaborate to get rid of their waste silage wrap for just £25 – with 20% of this money going to charity.

Leicestershire-based Harby Agriculture is urging farmers to volunteer as a collection hub for bale wrap, which it is offering to pick up at reduced rates as part of a “waste amnesty”.

The idea is that one farmer will register as a central collection point and invite their friends and neighbours to bring as much waste bale wrap as they like to their farm.

See also: What UK farmers can learn from Denmark about collaboration

The company has committed to picking up full 18-20t lorry loads of wrap (no part or half loads) between 1 June and 15 July 2015 only. The farmers who dispose of wrap will pay a registration charge of £25, which will be collected by the host farmer when the waste is dropped off.

When the waste is collected the firm will also collect the registration fees and pass 20% of them to RABI.

Farmers who register as a collection point need a clean area of concrete yard and a telescopic handler.

They will have their wrap disposed of free of charge.

The farmer acting as the hub will also need the trading title and postcode of everyone who brings waste so they can be sent a waste transfer notice.

Specification for waste

• Waste must be silage stretch film – lldpe film.
• This can be a mixture of black, green and white stretch wrap. 

It can not be contaminated and have more than:

• 5% sheeting or feed bags
• 5% mud soil or dirt
• 1% Netting, string and twine

Loads of waste must not have any:

• Food and oil residues
• Paper/cardboard/metal/glass
• PP taysacks and bulk bags
• Tyres
• Wood and shavings
• Hazardous waste
• Other plastics, buckets/containers
• Or any other types of waste