How is waste managed on farms?
The aim of the consultants, technical staff and growers associated with Top Melon, and of everyone directly or indirectly involved in production, has always been to work together towards sustainable goals, planning production more carefully so as to reduce the waste generated and increase the share of recyclable waste over the years.
Like any business, a farm needs to use and therefore consume resources, and at the same time it generates waste. Waste can be defined as resources that can no longer be used or reused.
Under Italian law, waste from farming activities is classed as special waste and is divided into hazardous and non-hazardous. Each type of waste has an identification code, and hazardous waste is also marked with an asterisk (Italy’s Environmental Code, Legislative Decree 152/2006). These codes are essential for correct handling by those responsible for disposal.
Any substance or object that falls within the categories set by law comes under national and EU rules, that is, any substance or object which the holder (the grower):
- discards,
- intends to discard,
- is required to discard.
Why do correct practices matter?
A moral duty, even more than a legal obligation, requires waste to be properly identified, grouped and sorted into homogeneous categories in a designated area of the farm, in a way that prevents it from spreading and polluting soil and water, causing problems for hygiene and safety, or damaging property or people.
Different types of waste must not be mixed together, and hazardous waste must never be mixed with non-hazardous waste.
Temporary storage must be located where the waste is produced. It can be a store or a covered shelter with a sealed floor, or in any case a clearly marked “dedicated area” that is not accessible to unauthorised people.
During transport, waste must be accompanied by a document known in Italy as the formulario (waste identification form), which states the parties involved, the quantities, the type of waste and the timing. EU legislation and, in turn, national and regional waste policies follow a hierarchy of priorities: first prevention, to reduce the quantity and hazardousness of the waste produced; then maximising the recovery of materials and energy from waste wherever possible; and finally limiting disposal, seen as the last resort in the waste management cycle.
All recovery and disposal operations must be carried out without creating risks for public health and, above all, without harming the surrounding environment. The key challenge in waste management is to avoid shifting the related impacts onto other parts of the environment and, at the same time, to prevent the negative effects of waste handling from lasting over time, with inevitable harm to future generations.
