A new concept to shred used plastic containers and cut farmers' waste disposal costs by more than 80pc has been launched by a Fenland specialist engineering firm.

A new concept to shred used plastic containers and cut farmers' waste disposal costs by more than 80pc has been launched by a Fenland specialist engineering firm.

The ChipPE, designed and manufactured exclusively by Techneat Engineering, of Littleport, near Ely, reduces plastic cans and bottles to a fraction of their former size.

The latest idea from inventor and director Tom Neat attracted lots of attention at the latest Cereals event at Nocton, near Lincoln. Many orders for the device, aimed at the specialist arable farmer with around 1000 acres, were received.

It deposits the chips directly, quickly and efficiently into bags or containers for collection by waste disposal contractors.

It will be in full production in time for the coming ban on pesticide container incineration in spring, 2007, according to Mr Neat, who heads a business that employs 18 staff.

"Growers should be seeking an alternative, approved, disposal route now. The ChipPE will provide a reliable and cost- effective solution," he said.

The ChipPE incorporates a geared bank of specialist knives, driven by an electric motor, to shred containers in seconds but without creating a risk of splash-back. In trials, The ChipPE shredded the entire plastic container packaging from a typical day's spray-ing across 200 hectares in under 10 minutes.

The ChipPE is designed to compress packaging volume by up to four or five, significantly reducing on-farm storage requirements and cutting transport costs for waste contractors.

Mr Neat says a waste recycling contractor's bag that will typically hold around 25kg of hand-crushed containers could hold at least 100kg of chipped plastic. Since charges are around £30 a bag, the cost of disposal could be reduced from £1.20 per kg to 30p. Arable farms produce an average of more than half a kilo of waste containers a hectare in the course of a season, so disposal costs could be reduced from 67p/ha to less than 17p, he beleives.

With the ChipPE expected to sell for around £4500, the cost makes it a viable proposition for individual growers or groups of smaller farms.

Call Techneat on 01353 862044 to find out more.