Waste
Poorly managed waste products can cause detrimental effects to the environment. In agriculture there are 3 main categories of waste to be considered.
Production waste - Processing method or product specification results in significant quantities of waste material that is not reused within the production process and requires waste disposal (for example, misshapen or green potatoes not suitable for processing).
Hazardous waste – This is waste possessing chemical, physical, or biological characteristics that represents a threat to either the environment or human health (for example, pesticide or medicine containers).
Waste to landfill – This comprises permanent disposal of waste into the ground, by the filling of man-made voids or similar features, or the construction of landforms above ground level (land-raising). It requires stringent environmental control to prevent hazardous wastes or pollutants from escaping to the surrounding soils or air (for example, plastic from silage wrap).