UNSIGHTLY plastic materials discarded by farmers should become a thing of the past from next March 1st when a collection scheme for waste farm plastic will come into operation.
The initiative has been taken by the Irish Farmers' Association and the international plastics industry as a back-up to the Waste Management Act, 1996, which will impose stiff penalties on farmers and others who litter the countryside.
About 11,500 tonnes of plastics are used in agriculture each year, including 7,000 tonnes of silage sheets and wrap material and 4 400 tonnes of fertiliser bags.
With the new scheme, farmers will be able to ring a free-phone number and have waste plastics collected directly from their farms or from a local collection point, provided a minimum quantity of plastic is available for collection.
Mr Aidan Larkin, the IFA's industry committee chairman, said the scheme will initially target silage sheeting, silage bags and baled silage wrap. However, it is intended to extend it to fertiliser bags and other waste plastics over time.