Combating Plastic Pollution Through Eco-Friendly Agricultural Packaging

Abstract

Extensive application of plastics in the packaging, storage, handling, and transport of agricultural products has become a serious environmental problem. The negative impact of conventional plastics on the quality of the soil, sources of water, growth of plants, and ecological well-being of the environment occurs because of their long lifespan and gradual fragmentation into micro-plastics. In such conditions, the use of eco-sustainable packaging materials for agricultural products is a viable way to replace conventional plastic packaging. Materials that are biodegradable and renewable can be used to create environment friendly packaging, and these materials include cornstarch, sugarcane bagasse, bamboo, banana leaves, coconut, mycelium, millet, and other agricultural residues. There are also innovative approaches to create packaging materials based on dry leaves, rice bran, and other agricultural residues. However, there are some barriers for the wide distribution of alternative packaging materials due to their relatively high price, insufficient infrastructure for composting and waste management, inconsistency of the materials, and lack of information among producers and consumers. It means that the transition to sustainable agricultural packaging requires additional research, development, policies, education of farmers and other stakeholders, creation of the proper infrastructure for composting, and effective technology development. Such an approach can not only decrease dependence on plastics but promote circularity and adding value to the agricultural residues.