End Plastics
Fields of Reuse: If You Upcycle It, They Will Grow
July 22, 2025
While agricultural plastics such as plastic mulch and greenhouse film have helped boost food production, their widespread use has created a waste problem – one that communities are now rethinking as a resource. From Spain’s greenhouse valleys to farms in East Africa, communities are reimagining how plastic is used in agriculture. What was once an unavoidable challenge is now inspiring creative solutions, cooperation, and change. With the right strategies, plastic can shift from being a problem to a powerful tool for environmental progress.
Spain’s Almería: A Sea of Plastic and a Call for Solutions
From space, it shimmers like a silver sea — but this “Sea of Plastic” in Almería, Spain, is no natural wonder. Despite its dry climate and seemingly inhospitable conditions for farming, Almería is home to more than 40,000 hectares of greenhouses. Spain took advantage of the region’s intense sunlight and pioneered water conservation techniques to turn Almería into an agricultural powerhouse that supplies 30-40% of Spain’s vegetable exports.
However, beneath this agricultural success lay a growing environmental struggle. The region generates more than 33,000 tons of plastic waste annually, comparable to the yearly plastic waste of 500,000 people. This includes greenhouse film, irrigation lines, and even waste from solar panel infrastructure, much of which ends up in landfills, rivers, and the Mediterranean Sea.
The environmental toll became tragically visible in 2013, when a sperm whale washed ashore with 17 kilograms of plastic in its stomach, mostly greenhouse sheeting traced back to Almería. While these greenhouses have driven economic growth, they also highlight the urgent need for better plastic management.
Farmer cooperatives now upcycle used plastics — turning greenhouse film into fence posts, pallets, and building materials. With growing awareness and incentives, a waste crisis is becoming a model for sustainable farming.
China’s Arid Northwest: A Biodegradable Breakthrough
Found in the drylands of Xinjiang and Gansu, China, an environmentally friendly plastic mulch has begun helping farmers retain soil moisture and boost crop yields. This plastic mulch is made from PBAT, a biodegradable polymer, this film breaks down into water and carbon dioxide – unlike conventional plastic mulch, which can stay in the soil for decades. Unlike the new mulch, traditional plastics degrade slowly, causing buildup that threatens long-term crop fertility. This caused groups such as the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to begin piloting biodegradable mulch films that decompose naturally after harvest. The early results are promising, showing that nearly 90% of the biodegradable film turned into carbon dioxide and water within 2 years.
Farmers have also reported improved crop quality and soil conditions, whilst labor costs for plastic removal have dropped. Furthermore, government subsidies and bulk purchasing of biodegradable mulch are making the adoption of this solution more accessible to agricultural communities. The partnership between science and governmental policy shows how targeted innovation can address both environmental and agricultural needs.
East Africa: Education at the Farm Gate
Plastic use in farming is surging — especially in countries like Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, where tools like irrigation lines and crop covers are driving major gains in productivity. High-growth regions such as East Africa are increasing their usage of plastic greenhouses by 15-20% per year. However, waste management systems have not been able to keep pace. The plastic is often discarded in fields or clogs waterways, thus contributing to pollution and public health risks in the region.
In seeking proactive solutions, NGOs and local startups in these communities have stepped in. Through farmer workshops like the Fair Recycling Project, mobile collection points, and peer-led training sessions, communities are learning to sort, reuse, and upcycle agricultural plastics—turning waste into durable farming tools, storage containers, or drip irrigation parts. These grassroots solutions are leading to cleaner farms, stronger local networks, and a growing culture of environmental stewardship. East Africa serves as a great example, showing us that educational solutions can be a powerful tool in producing change.
The Human Factor: Collaboration as a Catalyst
Central to all of these successful initiatives is the idea of collaboration. In Spain, cooperative boards are organizing knowledge-sharing sessions to educate on plastic collection and disseminate best practices for efficient agriculture and plastic usage. In China, local governments work alongside farmers to trial test new materials. Finally, in Kenya, peer educators further empower their neighbors to utilize sustainable practices and lead change from the ground up.
The solutions lie in shifting mindsets, as communities and farmers have started to recognize that eco-consciousness and productivity do not need to be in conflict. Through working together and seeking a mixture of the two, they are building resilient farming systems and setting examples that stretch far beyond their own fields.
Seeds of Optimism: What Comes Next
Momentum is building; however, scaling up these efforts requires continual investments in agricultural education and developing the necessary infrastructure. This means more collection sites, improved recycling facilities, and improved incentives for farmers.
Andalusia in Spain has taken the lead in creating new drop-off plastic points, facilities, and improved recycling financial incentives. By designing solutions with the farmers impacted and affected by plastic waste – a future built on sustainability is not just shared, but lived, supported and is growing from the ground up.
Toward a Cleaner Harvest
Agricultural plastics don’t have to pollute. Through creativity, cooperation, and commitment they can be used to help cultivate a more sustainable future.
We can all take part in this global shift by supporting local upcycling efforts, advocating for biodegradable alternatives, and calling on leaders to back the Global Plastics Treaty—and reduce our plastic production overall by 60% by 2040. A cleaner harvest is within reach – with each new idea realized, each farmer trained, and each piece of plastic reused, communities get one step closer to creating the eco-friendly “fields of dreams” we all want.
