The "Recycling of Plastics from Farms" project by Jamk University of Applied Sciences has won gold in the Environmental Protection category at the international Agricultural & Rural Inspiration Awards 2024 (ARIA). The final was held in Brussels on December 4, 2024, where Europe's best rural projects were awarded.
The project's goal was to solve the plastic waste problem on farms by mapping the generation of plastic waste, creating guidelines for its handling, and developing new methods for collecting and recycling the waste.
The project's survey revealed that Finnish farms produce approximately 12 million kilos of plastic waste annually, of which only 20% is recycled. According to the survey, up to 70% of this waste could be recycled. The waste mostly ends up being incinerated, although it would be suitable for recycling if sorted. Farms bear the costs of collecting plastic waste themselves, as Finland has so far lacked a cost-effective and functional agricultural plastic recycling system.
"In Finland, farms are far apart, there are few reliable plastic waste receivers, and logistics are expensive. The largest climate emissions from plastics come from their production, so recycling would effectively reduce emissions," says project manager Aija Hytönen from the Bioeconomy Institute at Jamk University of Applied Sciences.
The project implemented a pilot in North Savo, collecting 1.3 million kilos of plastic waste from nearly 140 farms. LAB University of Applied Sciences tested the mechanical identification and chemical breakdown of plastic waste for raw material reuse. For example, the plastics needed by a garden farm and a cattle farm are very different. The project provided farms with clear instructions for sorting, storing, and recycling different types of plastics.
"The key finding revealed how significantly sorting and compacting plastic waste can save farmers money," project manager Aija Hytönen notes.
The "Recycling of Plastics from Farms" project was funded by the Central Finland ELY Centre and carried out in collaboration with the Bioeconomy Institute and the Institute of New Industry at Jamk, as well as MTK North Savo and LAB University of Applied Sciences.
