Stelrad Logo
British Polythene Industries (BPI)
Helping BPI understand the most environmentally friendly waste disposal option
Agricultural Film
BPI wanted to understand the environmental impacts of their agricultural film. A key question they wanted answered was if it was better to recycle this film or landfill it at the end of its life.
BPI asked us to undertake a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) of the manufacture and disposal of LLDPE agricultural silage plastic.
This study involved the detailed analysis of the complete life of the silage film from raw material manufacture to disposal. In doing this, two LCAs were performed:
- Manufacture, collection and recycling of agricultural silage film
- Manufacture and disposal of silage film by farmers at landfill sites
The main activities contributing to the environmental impact of the film were identified so that they could be investigated further and the impacts reduced.
We advised BPI of the main areas of the film’s lifecycle that contributed to the impacts.
Recommendations were made as to how these impacts could be reduced, which included practical advice such as increasing recycled content and reassessing their raw material sourcing.
BPI has used the results to inform decision-making around the production and recovery of the film.
The work conducted by Valpak has been critical to our understanding and management of the production and recovery of silage wrap, with regard to the environment.