Cost Comparison
Australian Bioplastic Worksheet:
Polyethylene and Mater-Bi mulch film cost comparison
Acknowledgement authors: T.J. Mullis and S. A. Limpus, Agri-Science Queensland Bowen Research Facility
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Table 1: Comparative cost analysis – Plastic Mulch Film vs Mater-Bi Bio Mulch Film
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Plastic Mulch Film |
Mater-Bi Bio Mulch Film |
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| Purchase Price $/ha | 715 | 1,444 |
| Retrieval Cost $/ha | 280 | 0 |
| Transport Cost $/ha | 133 | 0 |
| Landfill Cost $/ha | 99 | 0 |
| Environmental Levy $/ha | 248 | 0 |
| Cost of mulch $/ha | $ 1,474 | $ 1,444 |
Table 2 to 5 shows the cost analysis in details.
| Table 2: Cost of mulch – $/Ha | ||||||
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Row Spacing
M
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M/Ha |
Roll Length
M
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Roll Cost
$
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$/M | $/Ha | |
| Plastic | 1.8 | 5,556 | 2,300 | 296 | 0.13 | 715 |
| Bio | 1.8 | 5,556 | 1,000 | 260 | 0.26 | 1,444 |
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Table 3: Cost of retrieving plastic mulch |
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Manual Hrs/ha
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Machine Hrs/Ha | Total $/Ha |
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| 8 | 8 | |||||
| $/hour | 20 | 15 | $280 |
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| Table 4: Cost of Landfill + Waste Levy $/Ha |
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Cubic metre/Ha | Cost/Ha | ||||
| Landfill cost $/cubic metre |
28 | 3.5 | 99 | |||
| Waste Levy $/cubic metre |
70 | 3.5 | $248 | |||
| Total Waste Landfill+Waste Levy $/Ha | $347 | |||||
| Table 5: Cost to transport Plastic Mulch to Landfill $/Ha |
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| Cost per truck load |
$750
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| Cubic metres/roll | 0.6 |
| No of rolls mulch/truck | 70 |
| Cost per roll | $22.10 |
| Rolls/Ha | 6 |
| Cost/Ha | $ 132.59 |