Frequently Asked Questions

How much does AgBagging cost?

Pricing works out at between £5.50 - £7 per tonne and we charge per running metre of bag used – about £23 to £25 per metre.

Per running metre, we get between 4 and 5 tonnes of material:

• Grass (4.2 – 4.5 tonnes)
• Wholecrop (4.5 – 5 tonnes)

We have a minimum charge of £1000, but we can be flexible if it is a local job or out of high season.

All our bags are 3m (10ft) in diameter and we generally do a minimum of a 45m (150ft) run. We can do shorter bag runs, but this costs more, as there is more bag wastage. We can do up to 150m run, but not all our machines can do that this year – but they will by 2012.

We recommend the use of an additive for all materials, especially for summer feeding and that works out at £1.20 per tonne.

How long does it take to fill an AgBag?

We can bag 3 tonnes of material per minute and we have one man and a machine available to do the job.

Where can the AgBag be sited?

It can be done on a field, or any other firm, flat surface – the smoother it is the better it is for you to get the material out later.

How long does an AgBag last?

We have known material to last in bags for up to 7 years and it depends on the UV breakdown of the plastic – we have low levels of UV in the UK and the bags do have UV protection.

Do I have to protect the AgBags?

We recommend netting to safeguard against damage from birds and our prices start from around £140 for a basic net to up to £520 for a deluxe net.

If there are rodents in the area, then rodent control such as rat bait needs to be put down to protect the bags.

When can I put my crop into AgBags?

Wholecrop can be combined 3 weeks to a month earlier using an AgBag and we take it for wholecrop when the moisture level is about 30%. The material can be mixed – i.e. grass with wholecrop. Grass can be bagged at any time – depending on the weather.

What preparation do I need to do?

The farmer has to forage the material and we need to be involved in when this is done – we need to state the chop-length. If it gets too wet, we cannot bag it. If it is wet, then we need a long-chop; if it is dry then we need a short-chop.

What machinery do I need?

The farmer must get the material to our bagging machine by way of an ‘up and over tail-gate’ trailer. If a swing-gate is used, then our bagger would try to bag it..!

We generally only work with self-propelled foragers, as the old trailed foragers are too slow and our operating costs would not be covered. (We would only work with trailed foragers in low season.)

EcoPOD Frequently Asked Questions

How can you compost without turning?

Turning is used as a method of introducing oxygen to the materials because oxygen is required to create the heat necessary to obtain mandatory temperatures. The EcoPOD system uses forced aeration and eliminates the labour intensive method of turning.

How can you control temperatures inside the EcoPOD?

With our aeration system, temperature control becomes simple and we eliminate weather factors. There are vent valves installed at twelve locations on the EcoPOD. If temperatures or oxygen levels inside the EcoPOD go higher than optimal, the airflow is reduced causing the oxygen levels to drop and the compost to cool. If the temperature falls below optimal, the airflow is increased causing the oxygen levels to rise and the compost to heat up. Conditions inside the EcoPOD can be manually or computer controlled and is not reliant on ambient temperature.

What limitations are there to the materials that can go into the EcoPOD?

All organic materials can be composted in an EcoPOD. The quality of the final compost is determined by the feedstock and balance of the mix of materials that went into the EcoPOD. Contamination by inorganic materials will affect the final compost quality, but any material sized to our specifications can be put in the EcoPOD.

What is Leachate?

Leachate is any liquid that drains from land or stockpiled material and contains significantly elevated concentrations of undesirable material derived from the material that it has passed through. Leachate is a widely used term in the environmental sciences, where it has the specific meaning of a liquid that has dissolved harmful substances which may then enter the environment. It is most commonly used in the context of land-filling of putrescible or industrial waste.

What is LDPE?

Low-Density Polyethylene is a thermoplastic made from petroleum. It was the first grade of polyethylene, produced in 1933 by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) using a high-pressure process via free radical polymerization. Its manufacture employs the same method today. LDPE is commonly recycled and has the number "4" as its recycling symbol.

Does AgBag run any Pilot Projects?

We are able to assist with pilot projects for composting, Biomass and biofuel production. Please contact us for more information.