Each year, Canadian farmers embrace greener solutions to manage their used agricultural plastics, packaging and products as opportunities increase through Cleanfarms' collection programmes.
Cleanfarms is a national stewardship organisation that develops and operates collection programmes to help farmers responsibly dispose of on-farm agricultural waste materials. It is most well-known for its flagship collection programme for pesticide and fertilizer containers under 23 l.
The most recent recovery rate for these containers, from 2023 sits at 87% – a 17% increase over the prior year, demonstrating farmers' continuing commitment to eco-friendly waste management.
"Seeing the collection rate for containers under 23 l increase each year motivates us to keep working with our partners and farmers across Canada to offer new and improved opportunities to properly manage these and other essential agricultural tools after use," said Barry Friesen, Cleanfarms' Executive Director. "Canadian farmers, our members and partners inspire us, and we’re excited to see what we can achieve together over the next five and even ten years as we continue."
The pesticide and fertilizer containers collected through this programme are recycled by processors throughout North America and turned into new valuable products like drainage pipe or lumber products that are used back on farms.
In all provinces except British Columbia, farmers can return empty seed, pesticide and inoculant bags along with their containers under 23 l – bagged separately in plastic collection bags. Collection sites for containers under 23 l and seed, pesticide and inoculant bags will continue to accept new drop-offs until the end of October, when sites close until Spring 2025.
Cleanfarms collects many more used agricultural plastics and products, varying from province to province. These include but are not limited to:
• Grain bags and plastic baler twine
• Large non-deposit totes and drums
• Silage plastic and bale wrap
• Empty peat moss, fertilizer bags and animal feed bags
• Unwanted pesticides and old livestock/equine medications (across the country on rotation, every three years)
Quebec has seen one of the most significant upticks in new collection programmes in recent years. In 2022, new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations enacted by the Quebec government targeted agricultural plastics, and in 2023, Cleanfarms (known as AgriRÉCUP in Quebec) was named the province's official Recognised Management Organisation (RMO). As a result, farmers in Quebec bring silage films (plastics), plastic bags, twine, and maple syrup tubing to collection sites for recycling. Farmers in Quebec have brought in over 914 000 kg of plastic maple syrup tubing since the programme began in 2023, all of which would have gone to landfill had they not had the option to bring them to a collection site for recycling.
Farmers in Prince Edward Island have also welcomed new permanent programmes, allowing them to return fertilizer bags, silage plastics, and used baler twine to collection sites for recycling and safe disposal. 2023 was the first year that collections of these materials were part of permanent programmes, having evolved out of the pilot project phase at the end of 2022 thanks to new EPR regulations in the province.
Cleanfarms also operates pilot programmes across Canada to develop solutions for agricultural materials that have yet to be captured by permanent programmes.