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CleanFARMS developing program for plastic waste

January
5, 2012, Etobicoke, Ont – A new service for farmers who want to safely get rid
of plastic agricultural waste, including bale wrap, will be piloted in 2012 in
the Lake Simcoe watershed by CleanFARMS, a national, industry-led stewardship
organization.

January
5, 2012, Etobicoke, Ont – A new service for farmers who want to safely get rid
of plastic agricultural waste, including bale wrap, will be piloted in 2012 in
the Lake Simcoe watershed by CleanFARMS, a national, industry-led stewardship
organization.

“This
pilot project will lay the groundwork for a comprehensive program to
responsibly manage all agricultural waste plastic across the province,” says
Barry Friesen, general manager of CleanFARMS.

According
to recent research conducted by CleanFARMS, farmers in Ontario generate more
than 14,000 tonnes of non-nutrient based waste on their farms each year.

While
there are stewardship programs in place for some agricultural waste products,
there are many products for which no recycling options exist.

“Farmers
don’t want to burn waste or send it to landfills but it’s difficult for them to
be good stewards when there aren’t programs in place to help them,” says
Friesen. “Where there are programs in place, farmers overwhelmingly choose to
participate. The success of CleanFARMS’ empty pesticide container recycling
program is a prime example.”

The
Lake Simcoe pilot program will be funded by the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

CleanFARMS’ empty pesticide
container recycling program has been in operation since 1989 and its obsolete
pesticide collection program began in 1998. Both have earned a reputation for
being among the best agricultural stewardship programs in the world.