Container recycling program adds plastic fertilizer containers

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

by SUSAN MAN

The pesticide industry’s container recycling program is being expanded this year to include plastic fertilizer containers.

CleanFARMS, the industry stewardship organization that operates the recycling program, will accept plastic fertilizer jugs and pails under 23 litres. Similar to pesticide containers for recycling, the fertilizer jugs need to be triple or pressure rinsed with the cap and label removed.

Nadine Sisk, spokesperson for CropLife Canada, a trade association representing the plant science and plant biotechnology industries, says a small percentage of the nearly 4.5 million pesticide containers collected every year as part of the recycling program were fertilizer containers. “We wouldn’t have rejected them if they came in.”

The recycling program is being expanded because “part of CleanFARMS’ mandate is to look at different ways that it can help farmers to ensure what waste is generated on the farm can be responsibly managed,” she says. “CleanFARMS saw this as a need that they could fill.”

She adds that CleanFARMS worked with the fertilizer companies “to extend the program so that there would be a place for those containers to go as well.”

An April 22 press release announcing the program’s expansion says the “empty pesticide container collection program was first developed almost a quarter century ago by Canada’s plant science industry to take responsibility for the full lifecycle of its products.”

The list of collection sites at: www.cleanfarms.ca. BF