Plastic in Agriculture: Sources, mass balance, and transport to local aquatic environments

Summary

The aim of this preliminary project was to identify sources of plastic contamination in agriculture, establish a mass balance, and investigate the possibility of plastic from agricultural land being transported to the aquatic environment. The Morsa catchment (Vansjø-Hobølvassdraget) was selected as a study area, as NIVA has in-depth experience with hydrological monitoring in this region, and intensive agriculture is conducted within the catchment (15% of the area is agricultural land). Plastic products offer many useful and versatile properties and have become an important feature in the everyday lives of most people. The same can be said for Norwegian agriculture. According to Grønn Punkt Norway's statistics, agriculture is the third largest sector for plastic consumption, after domestic use and industry. Most of the plastic used by agriculture is used in the production of round hay bales, as agricultural films to protect and improve crops, and as mulching.