Each year, Canadian farmers embrace greener solutions to manage their used agricultural plastics, packaging and products as opportunities increase through Cleanfarms' evolving collection programs.
Cleanfarms is a national stewardship organization that develops and operates collection programs to help farmers responsibly dispose of on-farm agricultural waste materials. It is most well-known for its flagship collection program for pesticide and fertilizer containers under 23L.
The most recent recovery rate for these containers, from 2023 sits at 87% - an impressive 17% increase over the prior year, demonstrating farmers' continuing commitment to eco-friendly waste management.
"Seeing the collection rate for containers under 23L 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 program 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. But these aren't the only materials Cleanfarms collects.
In all provinces except British Columbia, farmers can return empty seed, pesticide and inoculant bags along with their containers under 23L – bagged separately in plastic collection bags. Collection sites for containers under 23L 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 programs 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 Recognized Management Organization (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 program 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 programs, 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 programs, 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 programs across Canada to develop solutions for agricultural materials that have yet to be captured by permanent programs.
During this week: Waste Reduction Week and throughout the entire year, farmers are invited to visit cleanfarms.ca or agrirecup.ca in Quebec – to find out what items they can drop off and how to prepare collected items for recycling or safe disposal.
"Cleanfarms permanent and pilot programs enable us to work closely with farmers and collection partners to put in place tangible solutions that tackle a wide variety of materials essential to modern farming practices in our country." Friesen added.
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