7th March 2008

The scheme was set up in May 2006 to help members of Anglia Farmers comply with the Environment Agency’s Agricultural Waste Regulations.

Simon Leach of Anglia Farmers, who coordinates the scheme, said: “It was a meeting of minds between ourselves and fertiliser manufacturer J & H Bunn. They have the infrastructure of collection vehicles and a recycling centre at Seething, near Loddon and we have the administrative capability to promote the scheme to our farmer members and manage it.

To make it viable our target was to cover collection for 250,000 acres. We’ve reached 312,000 acres from nearly 500 members and there’s plenty of capacity for more waste. Our geographical catchment area covers Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.”

The annual cost ranges from 15p to 40p per acre depending on the amount of cropping, use of liquid and/or bulk fertiliser and whether collection is required or waste is delivered to the recycling centre.

Ian Robertson of Elveden Farms, near Thetford, who uses the scheme, said: “We assemble most of our waste from various sites over the estate to a central point for collection.

Chemical containers are stored in very large crates which are more convenient for us and for Bunns. In its first year, the scheme has run without any problems and at a lower cost than we anticipated.”

The scheme covers collection of:

• Chemical containers
• Fertiliser bags
• Potato and seed bags
• Net and stretch wrap
• Twine
• Crop cover
• Fleece and plastic sheeting
• Cardboard