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FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS Teagasc nursery stock/ornamentals advisor, Dónall Flanagan explores the issue of plastic in the nursery sector and highlights a number of potential solutions coming on stream
TO PLASTIC PROBLEMS “Not another article on plastic,” I hear you say. We have been bombarded for months on how harmful plastics are if not disposed of correctly. Disturbing images of plastic in our seas and damage to wildlife have hit a nerve with the public. There is a tangible sense of awareness of the issues that we face. The problem of plastics permeates every aspect of our lives. I venture you may even be reading this with a disposal plastic coated coffee cup in your hand. But solutions are coming on stream, even for your disposal cup. Truly compostable disposable cups, made by the likes of Vegeware, are more common now. You might have unknowingly used them at Bloom, and these solutions are quickly spreading to horticulture. The overall global trend of environmental responsibility is seen to have greatest resonance with young adults and homeowners and a little more so with women than men. A Global Data survey in 2017 found that “Customers are making more purchasing decisions based on climate change, environmental deterioration, biodiversity loss, and resource shortages.” A survey by Kantar of 5,000 UK adults in early 2018 found that 24.6% expressed “extreme concern about plastic packaging of groceries.” You could expect that the rate in Ireland wouldn’t be far off this. The big picture response from the EU has been to announce its Plastics Strategy that would see all plastic sold in Europe being either reusable or recyclable by 2030. Much will need to be done to get to this point but how much does horticulture need to do and what will be the cost? Fresh produce has had to change in response to consumers’ and retailers’ demands. Loose packed veg and compostable packs are now on some supermarket shelves. Paper punnets and bags are creeping into use, for example on mushrooms. Heat sealed fruit and veg packs are widely used as well as
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lidded packs. Quality of produce is higher in sealed packs and there is less plastic to recycle. Changing packaging comes at a cost however, packing fresh produce using a heath sealer, e.g. Proseal, can cost up to €15,000 for a heat plate to fit the new package. Conor Green of Green’s Berry Farm says, “We have introduced 400g paper punnets on sale from the farm and they are very popular.” Paul Brophy of Brophy Produce, one of Ireland’s key broccoli producers, says, “The alternatives to plastic have to be affordable, workable and ensure integrity of the produce.” His company already uses a limited amount of plastic as produce is sold either in cellophane wrap or loose and both are delivered in returnable crates. Paul says of the future, “Plastic is being replaced, it's going to happen and when it does it’ll be quick.” One supermarket will lead the way but will no doubt not be long on their own at the front of the race. A prime example of recent change is Quality Green Producer Organisation. Their tomatoes are now supplied to Dunne’s Stores in a cardboard tray instead of plastic. David Currid, chairman of Quality Green, says, "The old plastic trays were clear and recyclable but Dunne’s wanted to move away from plastic and together with Total Produce we found a very similar cardboard tray.” The cost of the tray, David says, was less much than it would have been a few years ago, but not cheaper than plastic. This was a good fit and has been a winwin for the supplier and consumer. Eoin Reid, owner of Fernhill Garden Centre, doesn’t think that plastic is a barrier to buying for his customers. “We try to educate our customers about how they can recycle their pots, trays and plastic. Some bring back pots for us to recycle or think we might reuse them.” One area of waste that Eoin has to deal with is the trays from bedding. “The marketing trays take up a lot of space and all our suppliers use different
HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Summer 2018
