Sustainable management for all agricultural waste is the challenge for the sector

Sustainable management extend to all waste generated in food production is one of the challenges noted by experts, farmers and I EFEforum Administration in Agriculture, organized by Efeagro during this July in collaboration with Sigfito Agroenvases.

The meeting, held under the title “Agricultural waste an opportunity for whom?” Had among its objectives to raise the management of such waste is an economic and environmental protection on the opportunity that participants have claimed responsibility for all chain actors.

The situation in Spain

In Spain, Sigfito is the company that is responsible for the collection and treatment of pesticide packaging for thirteen years; according to its latest figures, the Spanish farmers recycled 3,786 tons of pesticide packaging in 2014, a figure that represents 57% of those who have been on the market. In the past year, it carried 7,000 containers collected 3,537 points; around 94% of both metal as waste or recycled plastic and 6% goes to energy, so that 100% is valued.

The Director General of Health of the Agricultural Production of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Magrama), Valentin Almansa, has emphasized in his speech the importance of integrated pest management, which entails a sustainable use of pesticides. Almansa has argued that the central government to “autonomous communities and producer organizations” have “a firm commitment to this comprehensive management, which already operates Sigfito model. And he was convinced that if the sector presents a model for the rest of waste generated in the “Administration will accompany no problem” as long as “it is clear about the model to be put in place”.

The French model of waste management

For its part, the CEO of Adivalor, Pierre de Lepinau, presented the French model of agricultural waste management, born in 2001 and where, in addition to packaging and plastics, pesticides or obsolete plastic cord removed. Of Lepinau it has indicated that it has brought great changes and has been “difficult” for farmers, for each farm there until twelve types of containers to deposit their waste, so that “we must help them.”

In his view, the success of this effort lies precisely in that it is a voluntary model, in which all involved -Industry, producers and manufacturers-involved to achieve the same goal. It has detailed work to the point that 86% of the containers that come into the market and recycled between 93 and 95% of the 60,000 tons of plastic that is collected is already collected.

Accompanying the industry

In the case of the Agro-Food Cooperatives, its director, Eduardo Baamonde, stressed that already 1,500 points Sigfito packaging collection and his vision for the future is that “we must work on the comprehensive recycling of waste in the farms “because” the problems do not end with phytosanitary “. Has abounded in that, at present, European “over-regulation” in this sense in Spain “is multiplied by 17 autonomous communities”, which are those that finally have the powers to enforce legislation in the territory.

In that sense, Aranzazu Bengoechea, a consultancy PWC Spain, has advocated the simplification and unification of standards in this field, because while Sigfito case has been “successful” in the rest of waste are more questions and issues regulations resolved. Therefore it suggested Bengoechea make a harmonic standard on all waste based on a collective agreement, as is the case in France.

Efeagro