Cleanfarms is Collecting Unwanted Agricultural Pesticides and Old Livestock/Equine Medications in two BC Regions this Fall

Containers of unwanted pesticides and old livestock/equine medications recovered at a recent Cleanfarms collection event.

(Moose Jaw, SK) – September 29, 2020 – This fall, farmers on Vancouver Island and in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia can safely dispose of unwanted agricultural pesticides and old, obsolete livestock and equine medications through a Cleanfarms clean-up program.

Cleanfarms is operating the collection events at seven local ag retailer locations. Each event will occur on a specific date between October 5 and 16.

“We know farmers wait for this program to come back to their regions. It’s their chance to take unused and unwanted ag pesticides and old, obsolete livestock and equine meds to collection sites for safe, environmentally responsible disposal. Through this program, we help farmers keep their farms clean and sustainable. And farmers can dispose of these materials at no cost to them,” said Cleanfarms Executive Director Barry Friesen.

The crop protection industry, in partnership with the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI), covers the full cost of operating the program and disposing of the materials safely.

Since the program began, more than 3.4 million kg of unwanted pesticides and 47,800 kg of obsolete farm animal (cattle, horses, goats, poultry) health medications have been collected.

This year’s collection sites are in (alpha order by region):

Vancouver Island

  • Cumberland – October 5 – Comox Valley Waste Management Centre, 250-336-8083 x 226
  • Duncan – October 6 – Bings Creek Recycling Centre, 250-746-2540
  • Victoria – October 7 – Hartland Landfill, 250-360-3410

Fraser Valley

  • Abbotsford – October 16 – Terralink, 604-864-9044
  • Delta – October 13 – Nutrien Solutions, 604-940-0290
  • Delta – October 14 – Terralink, 604-946-8338
  • Langley – October 15 – Professional Ag Distribution Inc., 604-768-5602

Events take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other details can be found on Cleanfarms.ca under “what to recycle & where”. This year, COVID precautions will be in place.

Materials accepted in the Cleanfarms program include:

  • old or unwanted agricultural pesticides (identified with a Pest Control Product number on the label)
  • commercial pesticides for golf courses and industrial and commercial pest control products (identified with a Pest Control Product number on the label)
  • medications that are used in rearing animals in an agricultural context or for equine use (identified with a DIN number, serial number or Pest Control Product number on the label)

The program does NOT accept:

  • fertilizer, diluted solution, large quantities of unopened product, and treated seed
  • needles/sharps, medicated feed, aerosol containers, premises disinfectants/sanitizers, veterinary clinic waste and medications, ear tags, and aerosols
  • any other household hazardous waste.

Cleanfarms rotates the program to regions across Canada every three years. Next year, in the fall of 2021, it will be held in the Okanagan, Interior and Kootenay regions of British Columbia. It will return to Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley in 2023.

Cleanfarms is a Canadian, non-profit, stewardship organization funded by the agricultural input, crop storage and animal health industries. It delivers recycling and disposal solutions for non-organic waste generated in farm operations. Other Cleanfarms programs collect empty plastic agricultural pesticide and fertilizer containers, grain bags and twine for recycling. Another program operating in eastern Canada collects seed and pesticide bags and in Quebec, fertilizer bags, for responsible disposal.

Cleanfarms works collaboratively with industry members, agricultural organizations and associations, and governments to ensure that Canadian farmers have opportunities to manage agricultural waste responsibly.

Questions about which products are accepted in this collection program can be directed to 877-622-4460 or email Cleanfarms at info@cleanfarms.ca.

www.cleanfarms.ca

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Contact:
Margot Beverley, Director, Communications, Cleanfarms
beverleym@cleanfarms.ca | (647) 557-1801

Three-year Cleanfarms Project Focusing on Improving Ag Plastic Recycling

Etobicoke, ON—An innovative multi-year initiative that is helping to recover and recycle plastic used on farms will ramp up this fall, providing more Canadian farmers with opportunities to manage plastic waste in environmentally responsible ways.

Farmers with livestock commonly preserve hay and silage in plastic wrap. Though a beneficial farm tool, the plastic requires end-of-life management. This Cleanfarms project is examining how plastic wrap and other used materials can be recovered for recycling.

The project, funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program (CASPP), has been developed and is being executed by Cleanfarms, the national, non-profit industry stewardship organization that has programs in place across Canada to recover and manage non-organic farm waste, most of it plastic, for recycling or environmentally responsible disposal.

Entitled ‘Building a Zero-Plastic Waste Strategy for Agriculture’, the project has three broad-based objectives:

  • to build consensus on the appropriate management of non-organic agricultural waste;
  • to survey farmers to establish current patterns of disposal before and after pilots and education programs; and
  • to demonstrate best practices in ag waste management through pilot programs conducted throughout Canada.

“Our farmers care about the environment, and through investments like this the Government is supporting our farmers in the fight against climate change,” said the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “We are committed to helping farmers become global leaders in sustainable agriculture and be a part of the climate solution by investing in innovative initiatives that promote environmentally-beneficial practices.”

“We know farmers want more opportunities to manage agricultural waste materials in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Cleanfarms Executive Director Barry Friesen. “This project will identify additional options for farmers and agricultural suppliers to incorporate sustainability practices more broadly in their daily operations. In today’s economy, with the emphasis on sustainability and circular thinking, we have a responsibility and a great opportunity right across this country to improve recovery and recycling numbers.”

Canadian agriculture currently uses about 40,000 tonnes of plastics annually in the process of growing crops and raising livestock, most of it in plastic containers, grain bags, twine and bale/silage film. Though plastic is essential throughout the farming industry, managing the end of lifecycle of plastics is a big challenge that requires forward-thinking solutions.

Cleanfarms already operates five permanent programs across Canada, the best known of which collects small plastic containers that are 23 litres and under for recycling. In 2019, farmers returned 5.5 million containers bringing the total number returned since the program began 30 years ago to 131.5 million. The containers are recycled into new agricultural products such as tile drainage pipes.

Other Cleanfarms programs include a national program to collect non-deposit bulk pesticide totes and drums; a national program to collect and properly dispose of unwanted agricultural pesticides and old, obsolete livestock/equine medications; grain bag recycling under a provincially-regulated program in Saskatchewan and pilot programs in Manitoba and Alberta; and seed and pesticide bag collection for proper disposal in eastern Canada with the addition of fertilizer bags in Quebec.

Together, these programs collect about 5,000 tonnes of agricultural plastics for recycling each year, and that number is growing rapidly with the more recent addition of grain bag collection programs. Still, there remains an opportunity to do even more.

“Dairy farmers are leaders in sustainable agriculture and have a vested interest in protecting our environment and preserving our natural resources,” said Pierre Lampron, President, Dairy Farmers of Canada. “Cleanfarms’ initiatives provide much-needed options for proper end-of-lifecycle management of agricultural plastics and dairy farmers are excited to see this project take root.”

The CASPP/Cleanfarms project links with a recent initiative undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada to quantify the types and volumes of on-farm plastic wastes and identify recycling facilities for agricultural plastics across Canada.

About Cleanfarms

Cleanfarms, Canada’s leading agricultural stewardship organization, is best known for its recycling program for empty, commercial pesticide and fertilizer containers and for its unwanted pesticides and animal health medications collection program, both of which are available across the country. Cleanfarms also operates Saskatchewan’s regulated grain bag recycling program. Learn more at www.cleanfarms.ca

Contact:
Margot Beverley, Director, Communications, Cleanfarms
beverleym@cleanfarms.ca | (647) 557-1801

Cleanfarms is Collecting Unwanted Agricultural Pesticides and Old Livestock/Equine Medications in Four Canadian Regions this Fall

Containers of unwanted pesticides and old livestock/equine medications being returned at a recent Cleanfarms collection event.

(Etobicoke, Ontario) – September 4, 2020 – Cleanfarms is gearing up to run its 2020 fall collection program for unwanted agricultural pesticides and obsolete livestock, equine and poultry medications so that farmers can dispose of these old materials safely and securely.

This year, Cleanfarms is running 65 collection events in four regions:

BC Locations Poster SK Locations Poster QC Locations Poster PEI Locations Poster

“Farmers can take unwanted, old and obsolete materials to our Cleanfarms collection sites at no cost to them. The program is designed to help farmers keep their farms clean and sustainable. When they use our program, farmers have peace of mind that Cleanfarms will dispose of the materials safely,” said Cleanfarms Executive Director Barry Friesen.

The crop protection industry, in partnership with the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI), covers the full cost of operating the program and disposing of the materials responsibly.

Since the unwanted pesticides and old livestock/equine medication collections began, the programs have safely disposed of 3.4 million kg of unwanted pesticides and 47,800 kg of obsolete farm animal (cattle, horses, goats, poultry) health medications.

Collection events are scheduled at local agricultural retailers’ sites. Dates and locations can be found on Cleanfarms.ca under “what to recycle & where”. This year, COVID precautions will be in place.

Materials accepted in the Cleanfarms program include:

  • old or unwanted agricultural pesticides (identified with a Pest Control Product number on the label)
  • commercial pesticides for golf courses and industrial and commercial pest control products (identified with a Pest Control Product number on the label)
  • livestock/equine medications that are used in rearing animals in an agricultural context (identified with a DIN number, serial number or Pest Control Product number on the label)

The program does NOT accept:

  • fertilizer, diluted solution, large quantities of unopened product, and treated seed
  • needles/sharps, medicated feed, aerosol containers, premises disinfectants/sanitizers, veterinary clinic waste and medications, ear tags, and aerosols
  • any other household hazardous waste.

Cleanfarms is a Canadian, non-profit, stewardship organization funded by members in the crop protection, crop storage and animal health industries. It delivers recycling and disposal solutions for non-organic waste generated in farm operations. In addition to the collection program for unwanted pesticides and old livestock/equine medications, Cleanfarms collects empty plastic agricultural pesticide and fertilizer containers, grain bags and twine for recycling. Another program operating in eastern Canada collects seed bags and in Quebec, fertilizer bags, for responsible disposal.

Cleanfarms works collaboratively with industry members, agricultural organizations and associations, and the government to ensure that Canadian farmers have opportunities to manage agricultural waste responsibly.

Questions about which products are accepted in this collection program can be directed to 877-622-4460 or email Cleanfarms at info@cleanfarms.ca.

www.cleanfarms.ca

—30—

Contact:
Margot Beverley, Director, Communications, Cleanfarms
beverleym@cleanfarms.ca | (647) 557-1801

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