A new company starts collecting empty pesticide containers Feb. 1.
CropLife Canada, which started the recycling program in 1989, set up Clean Farms Inc. to handle collection and recycling of jugs, pails and other containers less than 23 litres in size. It will also collect obsolete farm chemicals across Canada.
“For those participating, it is going to be business as usual,” said Barry Friesen, the lone employee of Clean Farms based in Ontario.
Each year, 60 to 70 percent of containers are collected, numbers Friesen hopes will jump to 80 percent within five years. In 2008, about eight million containers were collected.
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“These are resources we are dealing with here and farmers have recognized the importance of the program,” he said.
Contractors pick up the jugs at drop-off sites. The plastic is shredded and most of it is turned into plastic drainage tiles.
The container caps should be removed and farmers are asked to triple rinse or pressure wash each container. They are also asked to remove the instruction booklet attached to each jug and recycle the paper.
“If farmers triple rinse, they can use all of their product and get their money’s worth of what they are buying,” said Friesen.
Chemical manufacturers fund the program through a levy based on the number of containers they produce. Manufacturers are responsible for handling the large containers shredded for disposal in high temperature incineration or returned to a Clean Farms recycling program.
The program does not handle animal drugs in large plastic jugs.
Agricultural plastic for silage covers, hay wraps and twine are made from a low density polyethylene that re-quires different handling. Friesen is meeting with groups on a possible collection strategy for them.
