Farmers call for “watering tape” collection centre for recycling

Ofarmers in the municipality of Peniche asked for help in the municipality to find a more sustainable solution for collecting the “watering tape” for recycling and avoiding its abandonment, a problem they admit to exist.

At the last public meeting of the municipal executive, a group of farmers led by Rui Santos, representing 40 farmers in this municipality of the district of Leiria, explained that as a result of climate change, they “use more and more time” the “watering tape”, having “one more expense” with their shipment for recycling, adding to the increase in costs caused by the losses of bad weather at the beginning of this year and by the increase in fuel prices.

“ Companies collecting this waste charge high values or collect free of charge provided they are concentrated in one place”, therefore asking the municipality for help in setting up a collection centre.

In view of the cost, some end up abandoning or leaving them accumulated, without giving them the proper referral for recycling, admitted.

Every year, farms in the municipality of Peniche should use about a thousand tons of “watering tape”, but the trend is to increase their use, farmers estimated.

The mayor, Filipe de Matos Sales, said he knew the problem, because he was aware of waste of this kind spread across some points of the county.

“It is important to find a solution and the city wants to find a solution,” the mayor said, admitting that there is a “complex legal framework” for municipalities, since they have competences only to provide transportation to municipal waste.

The absence of private operators on the market to collect this type of waste has proved that municipal councils can intervene by applying a tariff for the service.

Still, Filipe de Matos Sales showed an opening to find a space to collect this plastic waste.

The mayor of Peniche said that he has been having meetings with Valorsur to create a Waste Collection Center in the current space in Geraldes, to serve the municipalities of Peniche and Lourinhã.

In the first quarter of 2027, Valorsur will present the investment plan for the project.

In the context of these meetings, it also addressed the problem of abandonment and the need to create a solution for the collection of the “watering tape”, and was available to find a space for the concentration of such waste with a view to its subsequent collection by private operators.

The “watering tape” is a thin, flexible plastic hose for dripping of agricultural crops.