3. Biodegradable Materials in Agriculture: Case Histories and Perspectives

Many applications of traditional plastic in agriculture have a short life, which on average do not exceed 2 years and for precisely this characteristic generates large quantities of waste that must be adequately disposed. It has been estimated that 30% of the plastic waste produced from agriculture originates from short-life applications such as clips, wires, nets, pheromone dispensers, and geotextiles with a high risk of remaining in the agricultural system thereby causing pollution. In this chapter the state of the art of these commercial applications is described, together with research and development for these applications. Some successful case histories in European countries are reported, along with how these solutions came about. Biodegradable and compostable bioplastics have physico-chemical and mechanical characteristics suitable to substitute traditional polymer plastic applications, thereby reducing waste generation at the end of life cycle. Biodegradable and compostable materials, compliant with the main international standards can be left directly in the field on the soil where they are biodegraded by microorganisms present either in the soil or in the compost heaps, together with crop residues, producing organic matter that can be recycled to the soil.