Survey of agricultural plastic waste in the American Midwest: Usage and disposal

An estimated 2.7 % of US plastics are made for agricultural applications in forms such as films, jugs, fence posts, and hoses. However, there is limited data on rates of use, and more importantly on fate at end of life. We first present a comprehensive global literature review, capturing agriculture plastic waste (APW) disposal practices over the past 25 years. As an initial step in improving understanding, a survey (N = 73) was conducted in the American Midwest focused on farming along the Kansas and Missouri border to better understand APW generation, disposal behaviors, and perceived barriers to participation in recycling programs. We found that rates of APW burning are high in our sample, with 83 % of respondents burning some of their waste, resulting in an annual burn rate of around 55 % by mass. This is the highest rate of APW burning observed in the global literature in the last 5 years. We also identified a statistically significant inverse relationship between recycling and landfilling participation highlighting transportation requirements as a significant barrier to participation. Low overall participation in managed waste disposal activities suggests there is a substantial need for creative and cost-effective ways to facilitate responsible management of APW.