The Saskatchewan government is teaming up with CleanFARMS to create a stewardship program that will help Saskatchewan farmers responsibly recycle on-farm plastic waste, such as bale wrap, grain bags, and twine.
Currently, there are either limited or no recycling options for many agricultural plastic waste products in Saskatchewan.
CleanFARMS recently conducted a study of the province’s waste stewardship programs.
The study found that the most successful programs, such as oil, tires, paint, and electronics, involve mandatory participation.
The Saskatchewan government has tasked CleanFARMS with bringing together stakeholders to develop the framework for an agricultural plastic waste stewardship program.
CleanFARMS will submit its recommendations on a potential program structure to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment by early spring 2012.
In January 2012, CleanFARMS announced that it is launching a similar agricultural plastic waste program in Ontario.
"We know that farmers are more than willing to participate in stewardship programs where they exist; they want to do the right thing,” said Barry Friesen, general manager of CleanFARMS, an industry-led national not-for-profit agricultural waste management organization.
“CleanFARMS currently operates a national empty pesticide container recycling program and an obsolete pesticide collection program, both of which have very high participation rates," said Friesen.
This news item first appeared in EcoLog News (2/10/12). To learn how to subscribe, visit www.ecolog.com