According to ERDE, over 40,000 tonnes of used agricultural plastics were taken back in 2024.
 

As reported by the nationwide take-back and recycling system for crop plastics in Germany, Erntekunststoffe Recycling Deutschland ERDE, the recycling of agricultural plastics saved around 37,000 tonnes of CO2 last year. The system has also been expanded to include further groups and collection points, according to the information provided. For example, the recycling of drip hoses was added to the collection system permanently at the end of 2024 through a cooperation with Netafim Germany and the Spanish Sistema Azud, and greenhouse films were added this year after successful tests. ERDE therefore expects a further increase in the quantities collected in 2025. ERDE has also renewed its voluntary commitment to the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV): by 2026, over 60 per cent of asparagus film and by 2027 over 75 per cent of silage and stretch film is to be recycled. Further collection targets have been set for agricultural plastics such as nets, yarns and fleeces. ERDE aims to further increase the quantities collected and further reduce the ecological footprint of agriculture through optimised processes and a growing network. And it is doing so beyond Germany's borders: in Switzerland, the network of collection points is being continuously expanded in collaboration with the system operator RIGK. There, the ERDE Switzerland take-back system collected around 2,500 tonnes of agricultural plastics in 2024, almost 15 per cent more than in the previous year (2,200 tonnes).
 
Sources:

• Press release ERDE (12.3.2025)
• Photo: © RIGK