Developments in Covering Materials for Intensive Horticulture: Technical Properties and Recycling Opportunities

An Empirical Study on the Main Determinants of Recycling Plastic Waste in Tunisia

“…[5] mentioned that an added benefit is the improvement of the visual appearance of a landscape that is not littered with pieces of plastic film, as can be seen in some areas of Georgia. An empirical study by [11], was elaborated to the case of Spain and other countries by [12]. These studies presented the main factors affecting the development of recycling.…”

Current trends in protected cultivation in Mediterranean climates

“…Among the solutions to this problem in Southern Spain is the recycling of such waste to produce other plastic commodities, such as rubbish bags, pots, boxes for handling vegetables, etc. (mechanical recycling) and the valorisation of waste as energy source, which is achieved by burning the plastic waste in a nearby power plant for the generation of electricity (Montero et al, 2014). The use of satellite data for geo-referencing agricultural plastic wastes would allow waste managers to use this information to decide the position of collection centres and waste route maps (Lanorte et al, 2017).…”

Energy and environmental assessment of plastic granule production from recycled greenhouse covering films in a circular economy perspective

“…Because of direct exposure to both solar radiation and wind, greenhouse plastic coverings are replaced every 6 to 45 months (Barnes et al, 2009;Scarascia-Mugnozza et al, 2012;Nanna et al, 2018). At the end of their useful life, these covers are taken off and treated as waste in two different ways: one is about disposing them of in landfills, often equipped with energy recovery systems; while the other regards recycling them into secondary raw materials for a wide range of applications, including rubbish bags and boxes, so contributing to reduction of the environmental impact overall associated with the film life cycle (Montero et al, 2014;Aryan et al, 2019). Unfortunately, to-date, around 50% of plastic wastes generated by agricultural activities is treated in landfills, so emphasising upon the urgent need to find and follow alternative, more sustainable routes (Briassoulis et al, 2013).…”