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LV SURVEY: TWO-THIRDS OF FARMERS WOULD BE READY TO RECYCLE AGRICULTURAL PACKAGING
According to the data from a survey* conducted by the association “Zemnieku saeima”, the Farmers’ Organizations Cooperation Council (LOSP) in cooperation with the environmental management company SIA “Eco Baltia vide” and Latvijas Zaļo punktu, almost 69% farmers choose to actively sort packaging used in agriculture on a daily basis. Meanwhile, two-thirds of those who do not sort and currently throw packaging in household waste or dispose of it in other ways admit that they would be happy to sort it, if only convenient opportunities would be provided to recycle packaging used in agriculture.
The survey data shows that 69% farmers sort agricultural packaging on a daily basis – of these, 61% choose to hand over agricultural waste to a waste manager, while 35% to anyone who is willing to accept it. Another 15% farmers surveyed revealed that they are happy to take the packaging to the waste sorting area themselves.
"It must be admitted that the survey data is largely encouraging. We can be pleased that the majority of Latvian farmers choose environmentally friendly and sustainable farming. However, at the same time, we see that in order to successfully implement the European Union's Green Deal, which also provides that "By 2035, only 10% of the total amount of waste will be allowed to be deposited in landfills in Latvia. In the agricultural sector, much work still needs to be done to successfully fill the gaps that still prevent the effective and convenient management of packaging generated in agriculture," indicates Mārtiņš Trons, member of the board of the association “Farmers' Council”.
Almost 36% farmers who do not sort packaging used in agriculture on a daily basis indicate that there is not enough packaging generated on the farm, so they choose to throw it in household waste or bury it in the ground or burn it (14%). At the same time, the lack of management options (33%) and insufficient information about the management of this type of packaging (19%) are mentioned as reasons for not sorting packaging.
“As you can see, the Latvian habit of throwing everything unnecessary into the household waste, burning it or burying it in the ground still appears under various circumstances. And although the survey data shows that such a number of farmers is relatively small, it does not contribute in any way to maintaining a clean environment for either Latvia or the farm itself. It is a real pleasure that the farmers willingly participated in filling out the survey, thus actively expressing their opinions and allowing us to jointly come to conclusions that should still be improved and developed for the effective management of packaging used in agriculture. I am convinced that this is an important step that we have taken together towards further improving the management system for packaging used in agriculture, sustainable farming and a greener environment,” reveals Guntis Vilnītis, Director General of LOSP.
When asked who would be most convenient to hand over used agricultural packaging, 76% of the surveyed farmers indicated waste managers, while 10% admitted that it would be more convenient if it was collected by a distributor of raw materials and goods after the goods were delivered. Only 6% would be happy to take the used packaging to one of the packaging collection points themselves. In turn, when asked whether payment should be made for the collected packaging, almost 67% of the farmers indicated that no or that it was not important, while 34% would be willing to pay extra for the packaging used in agriculture to be collected.
“According to the survey data, we see that the management of packaging used in agriculture still causes quite a lot of concern for farmers, which in many cases forces them to simply throw away the used packaging in household waste or choose alternative solutions, which can also be harmful to the environment. Therefore, it is particularly important to find solutions that would allow farms to conveniently and efficiently transfer the packaging used on the farm. An alternative, which we have already started to implement, could be the development of a packaging management system used in agriculture that would allow every farmer to conclude a long-term cooperation agreement with a waste manager, moreover, without charging a service fee or even receiving a surcharge in case of large volumes of materials. This would provide a guarantee to the specific farm that the packaging used in agriculture is regularly collected and responsibly managed,” explains Jānis Aizbalts, Chairman of the Board of SIA “Eco Baltia vide”.
According to the survey data, almost 791% of agricultural producers expressed a desire for a long-term contract for the management of packaging used on the farm, if it would guarantee the provision of the service free of charge or for a small fee within the specified period.
For additional information:
Association "Farmers' Assembly"
Sandy Liepa
Phone: 26371925
e-mail: sandis.liepa@zsa.lv
Association “Cooperation Council of Agricultural Organizations”
Guntis Vilnitis
Phone: 29428995
email: guntis.vilnitis@losp.lv
www.losp.lv
*The survey was conducted between December 8, 2021 and January 24, 2022. 356 farms from all over Latvia, which generate various types of packaging used in agricultural work, participated in the survey.
