(Micro-)Plastics in Horticulture: GKL Workshop on Circular Economy of Plastics in Agriculture and Horticulture

The GKL September 2019 workshop on circular economy of plastics in agriculture presented data on the current use of mulch films, fleeces, foils and hail nets on ca. 16,000 ha of fruit cultivation and 40,000 ha of vegetables in Germany with the following breakdown 1) This is equivalent to 22% of the fruit and 29% of the vegetable acreage in Germany. 2) The annual compost usage of 4.07 mil tons in agriculture and horticulture in Germany includes 817t micro plastic. 3) Based on a 14% share, this is equivalent to ca. 61t microplastics per year for the 200,000 ha of fruit, nursery and vegetables grown in Germany. 4) The un-informed consumer carries a heavy burden, as the plastic in municipal compost largely originates from his disposed (black) plastic flower pots and carrier shopping bags used to collect organic household bio-waste. 5) A voluntary plastic collection system called `ERDE' was set up in Germany by European Plastic manufacturers to collect any plastic waste from agriculture and horticulture for recycling into granules, thereby avoiding plastic waste in the countryside or sea. Detailed values of plastic degradation in agriculture and horticulture into microplastics await ongoing studies.