Joe Gagliardi was working in the automotive industry when he noticed the waste plastic left behind by the horticulture industry.
When he was out in the field repairing tractors and machinery, he despaired at the piles of mulch film left to be buried in mounds or taken to landfill.
So in 2004 he decided to make a change and started sourcing a biodegradable alternative from Italy.
His company, Australian Bio-Plastics, got off the ground in 2006 and started importing bio-resin from Italy to produce biofilm in Melbourne.
“It’s something that has been used in Europe quite extensively,” Mr Gagliardi said. “It’s a solution, not just a product.”
Australasian Bioplastics Association vice-president Warwick Hall said thousands of tonnes of conventional mulch film was used in Australia every year.
