AgroPages-Greece continues Container collection scheme-Agricultural news

Last year Greece’s largest rural town launched the country’s first large-scale collection program for empty pesticide containers.

This year the scheme has been extended beyond the town of Kileler to include the wider Larissa Region in central Greece.

With the involvement of more than 100 plant protection product retailers and six municipalities, the scheme includes more than 30 dedicated collection points. Key to the project’s success is the distribution of special plastic bags and informative leaflets, coupled with the inspection of returned bags. The first phase of the project saw collection of 1.5 tones of clean plastic containers.

"Today we have more than 350 producers involved in the initiative. This joint team effort of Hellenic Crop Protection association, the interested Municipalities, the Hellenic Recovery Recycling Corporation and the Geotechnical bodies will deliver more training for the farmers that will increase their safety when handling a product and will deliver even more empty plastic containers that will improve the environment" – commented Francesca Ydraiou, Director General of the Greek Crop Protection Association.

This scheme is part of a wider European effort by the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) for the establishment of container management schemes across Europe.