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Threats and mitigation strategies against plastic waste in agriculture 09 Jul 2025

Last month, the world marked this year’s World Environment Day with the theme, “Ending Plastic Pollution”, to raise awareness on the urgent need to systematically stop the nearly overwhelming problem of plastic pollution and promote sustainable alternatives. 

Plastic products have become items of convenience in many areas of life. They are also one of the most used products by individuals, households, and industries. Plastics are used in several industries because of their durability, versatility, ease of handling, and affordability. They are commonly used in packaging, automobile, electronics, medical, and construction industries. Plastics are also commonly used in the food and agriculture industry, where they have replaced glass and paper in terms of popularity of use. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), 12.5 million tonnes of plastic products are used in plant and animal production every year globally. Although we do not have a comprehensive data on the actual volume of plastics used in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, there are reports that the country generates an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of plastic wastes yearly, with a significant portion of it coming from agriculture-related activities. For example, plastic basins, jerry cans, tarpaulin bags, and polyethylene bags are commonly used by local farmers and agro-marketers.

As reported by the FAO, crop and livestock production has the largest use of plastics, followed by fisheries and aquaculture and then forestry. In crop production, plastics have numerous uses, from serving as mulching materials for covering the soil, suppressing weed, regulating soil temperature, and conserving moisture, to being the preferred tubing material for irrigation for efficient water delivery, affordable material for seed trays, greenhouse cover, fertiliser and pesticide packaging, and for packing farm produce. 

Agro-chemical manufacturers also coat pesticides and fertilisers with microplastics to achieve controlled release of chemicals when applying them to crops. Nowadays, seeds are coated with microplastics to improve their storage life. Also, soil conditioners are now available to improve soil drainage, mostly produced from plastics or microplastics. Microplastics are tiny plastic fragments which are less than 5 millimetres in size, manufactured in that form or from the breakdown of larger plastic items. They have additional uses as additive to fertilisers to prevent caking. 

In livestock and poultry production, plastic materials are used for animal shelters, storage of animal feeds (for example, feed bags and feeding and water troughs), animal tags, tubings, milk cans, semen straws, plastic cages, plastic transportation boxes, and artificial insemination sheaths. These materials are readily available and affordable.

In fisheries and aquaculture, plastics are extensively used for equipment and packaging, from polystyrene foam-filled fish cage and polymer-coated cage nets, to fishing nets, foam buoys, feed sacks, portable hatcheries, feeders, nylon fish nets, plastic pipe frames, and harvest cans. While in forestry, plastics are used as tree shelters to protect young trees to enhance their survival rates and help forest regeneration. They are also used as logging equipment components. Plastics are useful in other agriculture related activities, including covering of vineyards to protect against birds and wind, for the packaging of fruits and vegetables, to produce plastic hanging ropes to support plants in greenhouses, for the distribution of agricultural products, and in designing soilless farming systems, such as aeroponics, hydroponics, and vertical farms. 

Examples of plastics used in agriculture are polyethylene, which is extensively used in mulching, silage films, and as crop cover; polyvinyl chloride, commonly known as PVC, used in making irrigation pipes and other agricultural equipment; polypropylene, used in manufacturing packaging items for agricultural materials; polystyrene, used in producing trays and in soil amendment; polyacrylamide, which is used as soil conditioner to reduce erosion; and expanded polystyrene, often used in growing media to improve aeration.

Although the use of plastics in agriculture provides significant benefits, as it does for every other sector, the associated risks surrounding their use in agricultural practices are numerous and serious. Over time (decades to centuries), plastics slowly break down, releasing tiny plastic particles through the effect of wind and sunlight, from the toxic chemicals used in producing them, generating micro- and nano-plastics that seep into the soil. Some studies have shown that these toxic substances can absorb and concentrate pollutants, such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances as well as polychlorinated biphenyl and toxic metals like mercury, lead, and other materials, which change the structure of the soil, reduce water retention, affect crop root biomass, and reduce crop yield. These toxic chemicals from plastics do not only affect the soil but also greatly contaminate food sources and invariably contaminate our food and water. 

Unfortunately, the majority of the plastic wastes generated after they have been used to serve the aforementioned purposes in food and agrochemical production are not recycled. In Nigeria, less than 15 percent of the 2.5 million tons of generated plastic waste is recycled annually. Therefore, most of these wastes end up in landfills, unregulated dumpsites, and water bodies – beaches, streams, lakes, and oceans. 

Contamination of food and water from plastic wastes can increase the risk of experiencing various disease conditions. In humans, some of the chemicals used in plastic production that accumulate in the soil and are taken up by crop plants can act as endocrine disruptors, mimicking certain hormones in the body and causing hormonal imbalances that result in reproductive health challenges when ingested over time. Birth defects, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases (such as heart disease, hypertension, and stroke), neurological disorders in both children and adults, and certain cancers can be triggered or exacerbated by ingestion or inhalation of toxic chemicals from plastic degradation – most especially chemicals leaching into the environment (soil, air, water).

To reduce plastic pollution from agricultural activities, there must be improved regulation and standards of plastic and solid waste management. Lack of proper waste management systems in and out of farms, nonchalant attitude of farmers, food producers, consumers and agro-chemical manufacturers towards plastic wastes that encourages the dumping of plastic products into rivers and waterways as well as rapid urbanisation contribute enormously to plastic pollution. Government policies should be channelled to require more accountability from plastic producers and users. In other words, plastic producing companies must be encouraged to produce recyclable materials as well as biodegradable materials that soil microbes can break down naturally and safely without the need for removal. 

Agro-chemical manufacturers and other producer who make use of plastics for packaging could also be charged with the responsibility of finding ways to introduce incentives to encourage customers or consumers to return plastic packaging materials after use. Such returned items can be prepared for re-use by the industry or recycled for other purposes. This highlights the need for more recycling facilities and integrating individuals, households, farm owners into recycling programmes in which items made from plastics, such as irrigation pipes, plastic cover and others, can be retrieved for recycling.

Local authorities in farming communities should also raise campaigns to sensitise farmers and other members of their community on the need to combat plastic pollution and expand awareness of the six Rs for plastic reduction: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle. Rethink means to consider if you truly need to use a plastic material or if there are other sustainable options like fabrics or bamboo as the case may be. Refuse means to reject plastics when you don’t really need to use them, especially single-use plastics. 

Reduce means minimising overall plastic use and choosing products with less plastic packaging. Reuse relates to finding ways to repurpose plastics for other uses instead of discarding them outrightly, which is made easier by purchasing only long-lasting plastic products that can be used multiple times for multiple purposes. Repair applies to fixing broken plastic items to extend their lifespan to reduce the need for new ones. Recycle is about using plastics to produce various materials, including silage wraps, mulch films, irrigation pipes and fittings, greenhouse components, seedling trays, and storage bags. 

The public should be sensitised to choose agricultural plastic products made from recycled materials. Reducing agricultural plastic wastes can significantly contribute to making the agrifood value chain healthier and more sustainable.

Mojisola Karigidi, PhD, a Financial Nigeria Columnist, is a Nigerian biochemist and the founder and product developer at Moepelorse Bio Resources. She is also a Global Innovation Through Science and Technology (GIST) awardee, and an Aspen New Voices fellow.