Dear Drlatief Ahmad,

Please have a look at this ResearchGate link.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_do_we_beat_plastic_pollution#post-comment-editor

Good luck!

I think agriculture per se is not contributing too much as compared to other human activities.

However, use of jute bags instead of polythene bags for transportation of onion, vegetables and other crop production has the way.

I appreciate this Theme of World Environment Day. Plastic use in Agriculture is not much, but there is still scope for reduction. Use of crates for transportation has reduced use of bags.

At the consumer level, reduction in use of polythene bags will make a big positive impact.

Stop packing Agricultural products in plastics for marketing or retail

Arvind Singh provides a good link. Amir

Excellent idea, I strongly recommend it, and ready to cooperate.

Emad

make it expensive than paper, cloth

Unlike, in Uttarakhand, and also many states, usage of plastic bag completely ban. Take a strong step and established a law or rule against usgae of plastic bags.

The ultimate solution is promoting social forestry and using their products to make packaging the goods.

The increase of cultivation in all areas, and the attempt to plant them to preserve the environment, and protect from most of the damage surrounding them, because these plants are working to clean the air, and reduce the pollution surrounding the result of the misconduct of many people. Also be replaced with plastic bags bags Paper.

Follow the correct agricultural methods that prevent pollution without using plastic

This problem is inevitably linked to a strong reliance on oil in agriculture as plastic is a product which is made from oil. Organic mulches (straw, crop residues) could replace plastic (and they do in organic farming systems) yet, the relatively cheap cost of plastic as a mulch makes it hard to be replaced. Plasticulture is a whole field of study within horticulture (hoophouses, low tunnel/high tunnels, quonsets), which is employed in order to extend the plants growing season at temperate, or more northern latitudes. Glasshouses could be the alternative yet the economics would increase significantly the costs of production. Same for plants containers (pots) used by nurseries, packaging, irrigation systems, and the list goes on. Weaning farms and agriculture from plastic may be possible however, it is a gradual process that requires education, policy implementation and economic strategies that do not affect the livelihood of producers/farmers.

The first step is to change the buying habits of consumers towards purchasing items in bulk, preferably from the local organic growers. I know that this opinion may sound like a direct quote from Thomas Moore's well-known book but... based on my own experience, and observation of the people in my area, I see that this specific behavior pattern is becoming more and more common.

The second step is to encourage ecological agriculture through economic incentives at the level of local authorities. After reading the excellent answers in this thread, I am convinced that there is certainly an important lobby supporting the movement towards agriculture without plastic pollution.

You can read my opinionnaire article on it from this link:

http://ezinearticles.com/expert/Dickson_Adom/2315408

https://ezinearticles.com/expert/Dickson_Adom/2315408

plastics should be recycled

Good theme. Reduction is plastic is most demanding. Environmentalists are problem solvers and recycling is more efficient way but i am afraid it will not stop flourishing plastic culture spread over packaging to clothing . There is a need to discover a specie which fuel on plastic compounds and ultimately decompose it.

Regards,

Jahangir

Plastics like any other industry is also used in agriculture sector. At the end of its life plastic materials used for crop covering, soil mulching, packaging, containers, pots, irrigation and drainage pipes, may became a pollution source when improperly disposed, left on the ground or burned.

In addition, presence of microplastics in soil and their potential consequences when used in agricultural landscapes have largely been overlooked. Waste water treatment plants receive large amounts of hazardous substances, including microplastics discharged from households, factories and surface run-off in urban areas. Most of these microplastics get accumulated in sewage sludge. It is through sludge that microplastics are transferred to agricultural soils. Hence, large quantities of microplastics, ranging from cosmetics to clothing and industrial processes are likely to end up on agricultural lands fertilised with urban sewage sludge.

According to the study done by Nizzetto etal., 1 between 110,000 and 730,000 tonnes of microplastics are transferred to agricultural soils in Europe and North America every year. This is more than the estimated total burden of microplastics (93,000–236,000 tonnes) in ocean water. The figures look even more threatening as the impact of microplastics on soil organisms, farm productivity and food safety is unknown.

So called “ plastic “ subject , can be produced by microorganism !

Ken....many options are available to beat plastic pollution. Sometimes I wonder if discussing these options on virtual platforms (like RG or other similar ones) would make any difference/sense. For that matter, the question of this thread itself and many more such questions like ...what is xyz? ..the answer for which can be easily googled are posted on RG and goes into long unending discussion. I do not know if the person who posts such question really has the need to know the answer or he/she just want to open up a discussion for intellectual gain!!

Just Curious...

Here are the recommendations I prefer to "beat plastic pollution in agriculture sector":

First, Specialized recycling enterprises to use agriculture plastic need to be set up in every country in order to give a second life to many disposable farm products

Three of the most common disposable plastic products in the agriculture supply chain and ways that farmers eliminate the need for their use could be

1. Irrigation supplies

In modern times irrigation without pipes and tubing is virtually unheard of. Unless, that is, you don’t irrigate at all. Enter the concept of dry farming - a catch-all phrase for farming techniques that use only the water that falls from the sky

2. Plastic mulches

Use organic materials rather than plastic mulches. Recently, the Rodale Institute, did an in-depth study on the benefits of using mulch from cover crops.

3. Plant pots

Many plants start their life inside a tray of plastic pots in a greenhouse. Plastic pots are reusable to an extent, but most seedling trays used for vegetable production last two or three years at best before they are carted to a landfill.

Japanese farmers have developed a transplanting system based on inexpensive, biodegradable paper pots. Rather than removing each seedling from its pot, the paper pots are planted directly using a non-motorized device that can be pushed like a lawnmower or pulled behind a horse or tractor.

The system works on a small scale but it is economically viable for large growers as well—one person can plant 264 seedlings in less than a minute without any bending over or digging. The system was previously available only in Japan but is now being distributed by Small Farm Works in Wisconsin.

https://www.michfb.com/MI/Press-Release/Earth-Day-Agriculture-doing-its-part-to-end-plastic-pollution/

To beat microplastic in environment, the policy level decision need to be taken such that plastic do not end up in the sewage and is disposed appropriately.

There are simple steps to follow that will dramatically decrease the amount of plastic waste generation as highlighted by many contributors above.

Common plastics can originate from direct and indirect sources such as lost bottle caps or plastic fragments as well as originating from rivers or maritime sources such as plastic bags, food and other packaging, fishing floats, buoys. More so, agricultural practices such as fishing activities or catastrophic events such as abandoned fishing nets and traps, rope, boat hulls and plastic films from agriculture can contribute significantly to the development of plastic pollution.

Observe everywhere polythene is used and make effort to eliminate its usage.

i do appreciate the theme for reduction of plastic in agriculture and households. It is a major concern of all the thinkers and scientists. We must emphasize on biodegradable plastic like use of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) rather than polythene and polypropelene. PHB can be syntheisized by bacteria as well as from guar gum which is biodegradable.

Dairy manure can be used for the generation of methane which becomes a renewable energy resource. The fermenter waste is fibrous and can be used to make a renewable version of peat pots used for transplant production. The Poop pots are able to stimulate more vigor transplants and less transplant shock. There are options to plastics which are recycleable and reasonable. These issues are also opportunities and we have plenty opportunities to make our futures more harmonious.

Packages are not to be thrown away anyhow. Also microbeads should be avoided.

Thanks to all ....

When I think about plastic and agriculture, Plasticulture (the use of plastic in horticulture as a mulch), comes to my mind. Imagine what a contribution could be made if plastic as a mulching material was substituted by straw, crops stubbles and similar biodegradable materials.

Reducing the level of environmental pollution (including in the field of agriculture) with plastic should be carried out in a parallel manner, taking into account, on the one hand, the improvement of techniques and systems for collecting plastic waste already in the natural environment as well as the improvement of waste segregation and recycling techniques, and on the other hand it is also necessary to develop eco-innovations in materials, including the creation and implementation of production processes and the daily functioning of people of biodegradable plastic substitutes. Rapidly biodegradable plastic substitutes are now mainly made from a variety of grains and other crops. Environmentally friendly solutions of this kind have been known for several decades, but have not been used on a larger scale before. Now, however, there is an urgent need for the industrial development of these environmental technologies.

Best regards,

Happy New Year 2021

Dariusz Prokopowicz