Background Over the past few years, with the application of plastics used in different agricultural practices, there have been major developments in the systems used to improve crops production (mulch film, tunnels and greenhouses) as well as other applications such as irrigation networks, shade nets, raffia strings, etc. In 2001, 196,255 tons of plastic raw materials were used to make products for the agricultural sector in Spain alone. Normally, at the end of their life span, these plastic materials become waste products, and have a considerable impact on the environment, due the problems involved in eliminating them. The current tendency is to abandon or incinerate them (generally in an uncontrolled way) or send them to a landfill site. This leads to a loss of valuable resources and failure to comply with the EC Directive 99/31/EC of 26 April on the landfill of waste, which sets limits on the dumping of recyclable waste materials in landfill sites. Objectives The goal of this project was to construct and demonstrate a working agricultural plastic recycling plant which validates an innovative process, combining the recycling technology with the transformation technology. The specific objectives were: •To eliminate the negative environmental impacts of discarded plastic such as soil contamination, surface and groundwater pollution and the visual impact on the landscape. •To prevent the accumulation of plastic at rubbish dumps, increase the life cycle and save resources. •To comply with the objectives defined in the Community and Spanish legislation on waste management. •To ensure that this treatment makes a contribution towards the sustainable development of the industry for agricultural plastics in Spain. •To contribute to the overall improvement of waste management in order to set priorities for the public and private adoption of environmental actions in favour of sustainability and the efficient use of a material whose waste volume is constantly increasing. The project was to present innovative technology for recycling agricultural plastics and aimed to act as a catalyst for similar initiatives both in other Spanish Regions and other European countries. Results The project has successfully achieved its objectives: a pilot agricultural plastic recycling plant was constructed and will serve as a catalyst for the construction of other plastic recycling plants that employ the technology in other European states. The technical and financial viability of an innovative process for solving the problems associated with the disposal of plastic waste has been proved. As part of this project, GENPLAST, S.L. recycled agricultural plastic waste to create products that can reused in the horticultural industry (mulch film, tunnels/small tunnels, greenhouse film, hoses, etc.), using new generation technology to ensure that the new products have special properties and are correctly adapted to the particular characteristics of the geographical areas in which they will be used; this is indispensable in order to ensure that the original properties of the product are maintained for as long as possible. The project designed a process that involves treating the raw material (nongranulated chippings) to create the final product whilst also transforming the material (single processing). This was the first time this process, which efficiently combines recycling technology with transformation technology, was implemented in Europe. The environmental benefits of the project included: - Prevention of 7.000 tons of abandoned or dumped plastic waste per year. The environment cost (emission, noise, risks, use of fossil fuels, etc.) caused by transport to landfill sites will also be eliminated. - Saving on consumption of non-renewable energy (fossil fuels). - Reduction of air pollution by avoiding the need to produce new plastic and reducing the incidence of uncontrolled burning of waste material. - Dissemination of the project to all public and private bodies interested in the problem of agricultural plastic waste management. The LIFE GENPLAST project has developed a treatment process for a waste material (agricultural plastic waste) that is currently found in every country due to the astonishing development of plasticulture within the horticultural sector in recent years. The ever-growing volume of this type of waste and the almost total lack of appropriate disposal or management methods make the concept of this project highly applicable in Spain, in European Member States or anywhere in the world. Having successfully managed the complexity of this project, which involved the whole value chain and the whole life-cycle of plasticulture film, the project's beneficiary, Genplast, intended to continue implementing the LIFE project and to begin designing, developing and implementing an Integrated Waste Management System for the Integrated Plasticulture Film Production and Transformation Processes. This project has been selected as one of the 21 "Best" LIFE Environment projects in 2005-2006