Crop spraying would be one of the best farming jobs if it wasn’t for the faff of filling and disposing of hundreds of chemical containers.

But one Kansas inventor might have found a solution to the palaver – a sealed induction hopper, which can open and empty a chemical container in a split second. Better still, it will rinse the jug and shred it ready for recycling in less than a minute, saving the time it takes to triple-rinse each container.

See also: Sprayers are getting cleaner and easier

The Chem-Blade system uses sharp blades at the base of a stainless steel hopper to slice open the container, before a built-in nozzle rinses it clean. That means the operator is kept clear of chemical fumes and splash, and there’s no need to remove the container’s cap or foil, either. Once rinsed the container can be shredded either on-board or at the mix station.

The company claims time savings might add up to an extra 15ha/day and should reduce the time the tractor sits idle during fill-up. The system is retrofittable and costs $495 (£290).