Stop Paying to Get Rid of Your Farm Waste, and Start Getting Paid for It
You may have seen our recent article in Farmers Guide ahead of Cereals, looking at how arable farmers can turn their farm waste into a revenue stream. Cereals 2026 was a great two days, with lots of interest, but one topic that kept coming up on the stand was how some farmers are spending thousands every year getting rid of waste, not realising it could be earning them money instead.
We thought it would be useful to share some thoughts on this from our own experience of working in the industry, and give a bit more detail on what that actually looks like in practice.
What Is Farm Waste Actually Costing You?
Every arable farm generates significant volumes of waste throughout the year. Pesticide and agrochemical containers, fertiliser and seed bags, polythene sheeting, cardboard packaging, it all accumulates fast. Getting rid of it compliantly costs money. Skip collections, licensed disposal, contractor fees. Most farms just accept it as a running cost and move on, but when you actually sit down and add it up, the number tends to be higher than expected. And with environmental regulations tightening, it is only going to keep climbing.
The Bit Most Farmers Do Not Know
Here is where it gets interesting. A large proportion of that waste has genuine commercial value. Baled correctly and presented to the right recycling merchants, you can earn per tonne for the same plastic and cardboard you are currently paying someone else to remove.
Your disposal costs come down and you start earning from materials that were previously just a problem to deal with.
Once the right equipment is in place, it is not a complicated process. Materials get baled on site, stored neatly, and collected by a merchant who pays you for them. What used to be a cost becomes a process that earns.
Does Investing in a Baler Actually Make Sense?
This is the question we get asked most and it is a fair one. The honest answer is that for most arable farms, yes, and often more quickly than people expect. Most farms finance a baler rather than buying outright, and the combination of reduced disposal costs and rebate income means repayments are frequently covered from the start.
Take James Peck at P.X. Farms for example, he was spending £15,000 a year on skip collections across 12,000 acres. Since installing a Mardon RamPack Semi-Automatic Baler, that has dropped to under £5,000, a saving of £10,000 every year. The rebate income covers the finance repayments and the machine pays for itself.
Equipment Built for Arable Farms
The right machine depends on the size of your farm, your waste volumes and the materials you are dealing with. The RamPack range covers all of it. We have listed three options below that are popular choices with arable farmers, each one built for a different scale of operation.
The RamPack Range
RamPack 75 Baler
Compact and straightforward, the RamPack 75 is ideal for smaller farms and sites where space is tight. It handles cardboard, paper and plastic film and is really easy to use.
RamPack 550 HD Baler
The 550 HD is a heavy-duty, mill-sized machine built for farms generating higher volumes of tougher materials. Silage wrap, rigid containers, agricultural plastics, it handles what standard balers cannot, with a reinforced framework and a unique bale retaining system to match.
RamPack HX600 50T Semi-Automatic Baler
The high-capacity option for larger arable operations with serious volumes to get through. Designed for fast loading and continuous operation, it produces high-density, mill-sized bales across a wide range of agricultural waste streams.
How the Mardon Team Can Help
With over 20 years of experience in recycling machinery, we have seen a lot of farm setups and we know what works.
We take the time to understand your operation before recommending anything, your waste volumes, your materials, your space and your budget, so you end up with the right machine, not just the nearest one on a price list.
Whether you are starting from scratch, replacing an existing machine or weighing up rental versus purchase, we will walk you through the options and the numbers. Get in touch with the team today, we would love to help.
