Environmental nightmare as farming bale wrap piles onto Caithness beaches – but where is it coming from?
Environmental issues related to bad farming practices were highlighted by Caithness beach cleaners after they removed a quarter ton of plastic bale wrap from the Dunnet coastline.
Dorcas and Allan Sinclair from eco group Caithness Beach Cleans, said that many members reported finding large amounts of plastic wrapping from hay bales on the local coastline.
“It is not unusual to find a bit now and then, but we are finding loads,” said Dorcas.
“Together with Allan and a lady called Julie, we spent four hours working on a large lump on Dunnet beach at Burnamid. There is still more, but we could not do any more on the day.”
Once it was mostly cleaned of sand, there were 10 large bags weighing in at 542.54 lbs (246kg).
On the Facebook page, Dorcas said: “Tell me about bale wrap! I guess that every farmer uses bale wrap, and every farmer is supposed to dispose of it safely.
“Yet we find so much on the beaches. Not just bale wrap but often burnt bale wrap. Everyone knows that burning plastic is dangerous for the environment – you wouldn’t want to be breathing in the fumes.
“So how does that work? If the bale wrap is burnt, it is not being returned. How does so much land on the beach? Why just now? We see none for ages, then wham, it starts.”
Searching online, Dorcas found that bale wrap is increasingly being recycled, with specialist firms picking it up from farmers.
“You can sort of understand why the farmers get rid of it themselves, if the online posts that I read are anything to go by.”
Searching through a website called The Farming Forum, she found that it costs around £130 to hire a skip and then around £150 per ton of waste to be removed.
She also discovered that there are several companies which provide skips or collect farm waste in Caithness, such as O’Brien Recycling Services, Solway Recycling, Binn Group, Caledonian Recycling and Northern Recycling Solutions.
“So why are we just now finding it on all of the north coast beaches?
“If farm animals ingest it, then it is awful, but a lot of farm animals only have a life span of a few years. If a wild animal ingests it, it will die a horrible death with the plastic staying in its system, and the creature will slowly starve to death.”
Dorcas says that plastic does not go away but just gets smaller and smaller as it breaks down into tiny particles.
“Personally, I think it may be an old farm dump that has washed out, and that's why we are suddenly seeing so much. Sadly, there are plenty of old farm dumps around Caithness, but it could even have come from Orkney or anywhere.”
