In important areas of the agricultural sector, plastic is one of the most important tools for improving the managerial and economic performance of companies. Horticultural production under protected cultivation, in particular, makes abundant use of plastic polymers—polymers that mostly turn into waste. This study aims to identify similar organisational models among farmers operating in the strawberry production sector in relation to their intention to recycle plastic material and which factors characterize these models (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and socio-demographic characteristics) and to quantify the plastic used in relation to the different types of materials used. In order to achieve this aim, data coming from one of Italy's most specialized areas in the strawberry sector, Marsala, were analysed using a principal component analysis to identify latent factor and subsequently clustered in order to identify similar organisational models. The main findings show that behind a typical 250-gram basket of strawberries, the production process has generated more than 20 g of plastic waste, consisting of different polymers. In addition, younger farmers, who manage companies of smaller physical dimensions, and with a higher level of education, show a greater intention to join plastic recycling programs, guided by their attitudes, by the necessity to respond to social pressures, and by the ability to manage recycling programs. Our main result adds to previous knowledge that the informed producer (via greater awareness) is the key to solving the problem through improving environmental sustainability and creating a circular economy.

在农业部门的重要领域，塑料是提高公司管理和经济绩效的最重要工具之一。尤其是在受保护的耕作下进行园艺生产时，大量使用了塑料聚合物，这些聚合物大部分会变成废物。这项研究旨在在草莓生产部门的农民中确定与其回收塑料材料相关的类似组织模型，以及这些模型的特征（态度，主观规范，感知的行为控制和社会人口统计学特征）并进行量化。与使用的不同类型的材料有关的塑料。为了实现这一目标，数据来自意大利草莓领域最专业的地区之一，马尔萨拉，使用主成分分析法分析以识别潜在因素，然后进行聚类以识别相似的组织模型。主要发现表明，在典型的250克草莓篮子中，生产过程中产生了20克以上由不同聚合物组成的塑料废料。此外，年轻的农民经营着较小的物理规模的公司，受过较高的教育水平，他们表现出更大的意愿参加塑料回收计划，这要受到他们的态度，对社会压力的响应和能力的指导。管理回收计划。我们的主要结果增加了以前的知识，即知情的生产者（通过提高意识）是通过改善环境可持续性和创造循环经济来解决问题的关键。