Abstract :

This study explores the feasibility of recycling pesticide plastic packaging in Indonesia, focusing on technical, economic, and regulatory aspects. Technical feasibility analysis highlights challenges in material composition and pesticide residue removal, emphasizing the effectiveness of a cleaning process to ensure safety and quality of recycled materials. Economically, the study demonstrates significant cost savings when incorporating at least 40% recycled material into new packaging, enhancing market competitiveness. The regulatory analysis emphasizes the recommendation to the Indonesian government to reclassify waste pesticide containers from hazardous to non-hazardous materials following the validation of the triple rinsing trial’s effectiveness in removing pesticide residue. Reclassifying the containers as non-hazardous will reduce transportation costs from the source locations, such as plantations or farming areas, to the waste processing plant, thereby improving the economic feasibility of the pesticide plastic container recycling. Recommendations include conducting production trials with larger container sizes and adjusting the recycled material percentage, as well as exploring performance-enhancing additives for recycled plastics. Industries are advised to align with regulations by adopting best recycling practices and establishing robust compliance processes. Strengthening Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and supporting advanced recycling infrastructure development are critical steps. These measures will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of recycling programs, ensuring regulatory compliance and promoting sustainable waste management. The study concludes that recycling pesticide plastic packaging is feasible and beneficial, provided that technical and economic challenges are effectively addressed with at least 40% recycled material content. The economic viability of recycling pesticide plastic containers will be further enhanced if the Indonesian government reclassifies the waste containers as non-hazardous, after triple rinsing process, thereby reducing transportation costs.

---

Keywords :

Economic feasibility, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Pesticide packaging recycling, Regulatory compliance, Triple rinsing.

---

References :

1. Sridharan, S., Kumar, M., Bolan, N. S., Singh, L., Kumar, S., Kumar, R., & You, S. (2021). Are microplastics destabilizing the global network of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem services? Environmental Research, 198, 111243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111243
2. Thompson, L. A., & Darwish, W. S. (2019). Environmental chemical contaminants in food: Review of a global problem. Journal of Toxicology, 2019, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2345283
3. Rajmohan, K. V. S., Ramya, C., Raja Viswanathan, M., & Varjani, S. (2019). Plastic pollutants: Effective waste management for pollution control and abatement. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 12, 72–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2019.08.00
4. Dhananjayan, V., Jayakumar, S., & Ravichandran, B. (2019). Conventional methods of pesticide application in agricultural field and fate of the pesticides in the environment and human health. Controlled Release of Pesticides for Sustainable Agriculture, 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23396-9_1
5. Koul, B., Yakoob, M., & Shah, M. P. (2021). Agricultural waste management strategies for environmental sustainability. Environmental Research, 206, 112285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.112285
6. Shittu, O. S., Williams, I. D., & Shaw, P. J. (2020). Global e-waste management: Can WEEE make a difference? A review of e-waste trends, legislation, contemporary issues and future challenges. Waste Management, 120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.10.016
7. Lakhiar, I. A., Yan, H., Zhang, J., Wang, G., Deng, S., Bao, R., Zhang, C., Syed, T. N., Wang, B., Zhou, R., & Wang, X. (2024). Plastic pollution in agriculture as a threat to food security, the ecosystem, and the environment: An overview. Agronomy, 14(3), 548. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14030548
8. Shah, F., & Wu, W. (2020). Use of plastic mulch in agriculture and strategies to mitigate the associated environmental concerns. Advances in Agronomy, 231–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2020.06.005
9. Kibria, Md. G., Masuk, N. I., Safayet, R., Nguyen, H. Q., & Mourshed, M. (2023). Plastic waste: Challenges and opportunities to mitigate pollution and effective management. International Journal of Environmental Research, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41742-023-00507-z
10. Chioatto, E., & Sospiro, P. (2022). Transition from waste management to circular economy: The european union roadmap. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-02050-3
11. Nasrollahi, M., Beynaghi, A., Mohamady, F. M., & Mozafari, M. (2020). Plastic packaging, recycling, and sustainable development. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 544–551. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95726-5_110
12. Picuno, C., Alassali, A., Sundermann, M., Godosi, Z., Picuno, P., & Kuchta, K. (2020). Decontamination and recycling of agrochemical plastic packaging waste. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 381, 120965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120965

13. Hagelüken, C., & Goldmann, D. (2022). Recycling and circular economy—towards a closed loop for metals in emerging clean technologies. Mineral Economics, 35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13563-022-00319-1
14. Li, H., A. Aguirre-Villegas, H., D. Allen, R., Bai, X., H. Benson, C., T. Beckham, G., L. Bradshaw, S., L. Brown, J., C. Brown, R., S. Cecon, V., B. Curley, J., W. Curtzwiler, G., Dong, S., Gaddameedi, S., E. García, J., Hermans, I., Soo Kim, M., Ma, J., O. Mark, L., & Mavrikakis, M. (2022). Expanding plastics recycling technologies: Chemical aspects, technology status and challenges. Green Chemistry, 24. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2GC02588D
15. Petruk, R., Petrushka, I., & Pohrebennyk, V. (2020). Environmental safety management of used packaging of pesticides and other dangerous substances. Environmental Problems, 5(1), 30–34. https://doi.org/10.23939/ep2020.01.030
16. Hossain, R., Islam, M. T., Shanker, R., Khan, D., Locock, K. E. S., Ghose, A., Schandl, H., Dhodapkar, R., & Sahajwalla, V. (2022). Plastic waste management in india: Challenges, opportunities, and roadmap for circular economy. Sustainability, 14(8), 4425. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084425
17. Martin, E. J. P., Oliveira, D. S. B. L., Oliveira, L. S. B. L., & Bezerra, B. S. (2023). An Integrated Framework for Environmental and Social Life Cycle Assessments in PET Container Waste Management: A Case Study in Brazil. 1(3), 724–739. https://doi.org/10.3390/waste1030043
18. Picuno, C., Alassali, A., Sundermann, M., Godosi, Z., Picuno, P., & Kuchta, K. (2020). Decontamination and recycling of agrochemical plastic packaging waste. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 381, 120965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120965

19. Briassoulis, D., Hiskakis, M., Babou, E., Antiohos, S. K., & Papadi, C. (2012). Experimental investigation of the quality characteristics of agricultural plastic wastes regarding their recycling and energy recovery potential. Waste Management, 32(6), 1075–1090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.01.018
20. Karasali, H., Kasiotis, K., & Anagnostopoulos, H. (2014). Experimental investigation of the efficiency of triple rinsing of agricultural containers regarding their characterization as non-hazardous wastes. Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry, 97, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/02772248.2014.994519
21. Lwin, H. (2023). Comparative Analysis of Open Burning and Triple Rinsing Method for Empty Pesticide Container Management: A Review. OALib, 10, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1110380
22. Sariatli, F. (2017). Linear Economy Versus Circular Economy: A Comparative and Analyzer Study for Optimization of Economy for Sustainability. Visegrad Journal on Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development, 6. https://doi.org/10.1515/vjbsd-2017-0005