Cleanfarms’ Tammy Shields Wins Prestigious Waste Minimization Award for Ground-breaking Work in Grain Bag Recycling

The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council (SWRC) presented its 2022 prestigious Waste Minimization Award to Tammy Shields of Moose Jaw on April 28 at its annual Waste ReForum conference in Regina. With Ms. Shields is Henry Mutafya, Environmental Specialist at SaskTel which sponsored the SWRC awards program. The award honours an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to waste reduction in the province. Ms. Shields was recognized as a pioneer in agricultural recycling for her ground-breaking work over the past 12 years helping to establish grain bag recycling in Saskatchewan. Ms. Shields is the Saskatchewan Program Advisor for Cleanfarms, a national agricultural industry stewardship organization that develops and implements recycling programs for agricultural plastics, packaging and products. – Cleanfarms photo

MOOSE JAW, SK (April 29, 2002) — Cleanfarms’ Saskatchewan Program Advisor, Tammy Shields, has been recognized as a pioneer in agricultural recycling for her ground-breaking work establishing grain bag recycling in Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council (SWRC) presented its 2022 prestigious Waste Minimization Award to Ms. Shields on April 28 at its annual Waste ReForum conference. The award honours an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to waste reduction in the province.

“When we looked at how agricultural plastics recycling has evolved  in this province, Tammy Shields was a key driver. Everyone who is involved in recycling grain bags in Saskatchewan has benefited from her dedication,” said SWRC Executive Director Joanne Fedyk.

A native of Saskatchewan, Shields lives in Moose Jaw. Her education as an agrologist and her career path put her in fields with farmers, in municipal council chambers with elected representatives, at landfill sites with attendants and in board rooms with corporate executives. If the discussion involved agricultural sustainability, Shields took on the task and was equally comfortable in all those settings.  Well known for her environmentally-focused work among her peers, Shields also served as a director of the SWRC and worked with the Moose Jaw River Watershed Stewards.

Under Tammy’s leadership, the Moose Jaw River Watershed Stewards was the first watershed group to tackle household hazardous waste as well as agricultural plastics. That early effort resulted in the recycling of more than 450 tonnes of grain bag plastic.

“Tammy committed a lot of time to learning about all aspects of the agricultural plastics industry and is always willing to share her knowledge and learn from others to balance the producers concerns and protecting the environment. I do believe that she was one of the pioneers for where we are today in keeping ag plastics out of landfills or being disposed of on farm. Tammy so rightly deserves to be recognized for her contribution to the plastic recycling program in Saskatchewan,” said John Kindrachuk, executive director of the Redberry Lake Biosphere Region.

Shields is widely considered to be the “go-to” expert on grain bag recycling and it was that reputation that led Cleanfarms to invite her to join the team in 2017 as the stewardship organization was developing a product stewardship program plan for the grain bag industry under the province’s new regulation.

“Tammy kick-started grain bag recycling in Saskatchewan and is the driving force behind the province’s strong track record for responsible management of these items. It didn’t matter if farmers used three grain bags or three hundred, Tammy had time to work with everyone,” said Cleanfarms Executive Director Barry Friesen. “Her passion for agriculture combined with her dedication to promoting sustainability made her an ideal recipient for this award. We are very proud of her.”

Today, Shields not only oversees 45 grain bag recycling collection sites in Saskatchewan, she is also helping to organize grain bag and other ag plastic recycling in Alberta and Manitoba.

Cleanfarms is an agricultural industry stewardship organization that contributes to a healthier environment and a sustainable future by recovering and recycling agricultural and related industry plastics, packaging and products. It is funded by its members in the crop protection, seed, fertilizer, animal health medication and grain bag industries. It has staff located in Lethbridge, Alberta; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Etobicoke, Ontario; and St-Bruno, Quebec.

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Cleanfarms.ca
Contact: Barbara McConnell   |   416-452-2373  |   bmcconnell@cleanfarms.ca

Alberta Recycling Pilot for Grain Bags and Baler Twine Extended to August 2023

 

—Extension Includes Additional Ag Plastic Recycling Collection Sites—

LETHBRIDGE, AB (April 28, 2022) – A pilot program enabling farmers in Alberta to recycle grain bags and baler twine has been extended beyond its original three-year limit and has been granted $115,000 in additional funding. Scheduled to end this month (April 2022), the ‘Alberta Ag Plastic. Recycle it!’ recycling pilot will now continue operations until at least the end of August 2023.

“This extension opens doors to expand the program to areas of the province not previously included, broadening opportunities for more farmers to participate in the program by recycling their grain bags and used baler twine,” said Al Kemmere, chair of the multi-stakeholder project lead, the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group (APRG). “The long-term goal of the group is to expand the pilot into a permanent program.”

Alberta’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development funded the pilot with $1M in 2019 and granted the extension and additional funds.

“Farmers are dedicated stewards of our lands, and this program makes it easier for them to recycle commonly-used items like grain bags and baler twine,” says Nate Horner, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development. “We’ve been so impressed with participation in the pilot program that extending it even further was an easy decision.”

 Participation by farmers who use grain bags has been robust over the three years of the pilot with more than 1,700 tonnes of grain bag plastic recycled. This level of participation has generated valuable data to anticipate collection, transportation and recycling costs for a province-wide, permanent program.

Used baler twine collected for recycling in the ‘Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It!’ pilot. Cleanfarms photo.

“The extension will focus on increasing participation for baler twine recycling,” said Barry Friesen, executive director of Cleanfarms which operates the program. “It will enable us to investigate potential barriers to twine recycling and target education and promotion to encourage farmers to bring back more of this used material.”

To date, about 230 tonnes of baler twine has been recovered in the pilot, which is the equivalent of over 10 semi-trailers, fully loaded.

Farmers can go to AlbertaAgPlastics.ca on the Cleanfarms website to find twine and grain bag collection sites and instructions on how to prepare the material for recycling.

About the APRG

The Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group (APRG) formed in 2016 to find solutions for agricultural plastics. The APRG is made up of partners including commodity groups, retailers, municipalities, academic institutions, recyclers, and farmers. The group is now focused on the transition of the pilot into a permanent program as well as exploring solutions for other ag plastics such as bale wrap and silage plastic. aprg.ca

The pilot project is led by the multi-stakeholder Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group; funds were granted by the Government of Alberta and are administered by Alberta Beef Producers.

 

About Cleanfarms

Cleanfarms is a national, non-profit industry stewardship organization that designs and develops recycling and disposal solutions for farmers to manage used agricultural plastics and other non-organic ag packaging waste to help keep farms and farm communities clean. cleanfarms.ca

Media Contacts:

Tammy Schwass, APRG                 |  403-835-6467 |  tammy@albertaplasticsrecycling.com
Barbara McConnell, Cleanfarms  |  416-452-2373 |  bmcconnell@cleanfarms.ca

Celebrating Earth Day and Investing in Our Planet: 143M Agri Containers Recycled over 30 Years

Recycled plastic from pesticide and fertilizer jugs are made into valuable agricultural products such as flexible drainage pipe and plastic bags. – Cleanfarms photo

—Farmers Can Start Recycling Empty Pesticide and Fertilizer Containers May 2—

Moose Jaw, SK (April 22, 2022) – Earth Day on April 22 is a reminder that Canadian farmers invest in our planet every year when they return empty pesticide and fertilizer containers for recycling. This year, the recycling program operator, Cleanfarms, is encouraging farmers to celebrate Earth Day all year long by returning even more empty single use jugs than last year.

“And that is no easy challenge,” says Cleanfarms Executive Director Barry Friesen, whose organization develops and operates the agricultural “blue box” for farmers.

“In 2021, Canadian farmers returned more than 6.2 million small empty containers, up 12.5% over the year before. Farmers are doing a great job which means we’re closing in on 80% of the containers in the marketplace. But we’re not stopping there. We’re going after 100%,” Friesen says.

Container Collection Sites Open May 2

Cleanfarms, the national stewardship organization that collects empty pesticide and fertilizer jugs to recycle them announced that more than 1,500 recycling collection sites across Canada will open their doors on Monday, May 2 to start accepting empty single use pesticide and fertilizer containers for 2022.

The Cleanfarms’ recycling program keeps these plastic containers, which are a valuable resource material, out of landfill and the environment, and reinvested in the circular economy.

Since the ag plastic container recycling program began more than 30 years ago, Canadian farmers have brought back more than 143.6 million empty containers for recycling.

“We’re challenging Canadian farmers to celebrate Earth Day this year, by bringing back all their ag plastic jugs used in their farm operations,” says Friesen, adding, “and on their behalf, we’ll see that the container plastic is put to good use again as new products.”

Recycled plastic from pesticide and fertilizer jugs are made into valuable agricultural products such as flexible drainage pipe and plastic bags.

Cleanfarms’ research shows that farmers want ag waste management programs that help them operate their farms more sustainably for their families and for future generations.

In addition to empty small plastic containers for pesticides and fertilizers, Cleanfarms’ programs include:

  • a nation-wide recycling program for large non-deposit plastic totes and drums for pesticides and fertilizers
  • recycling programs for grain bags and baler twine,
  • a nation-wide collection and proper disposal program for unwanted pesticides and old, obsolete livestock and equine medications, and
  • a disposal program for seed and pesticide bags and fertilizer bags in Quebec

Cleanfarms also operates pilot projects in partnership with other organizations across Canada including the Dairy Farmers of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program (CASPP), and Alberta’s Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group. Through these pilots for plastic ag products such as baler twine, bale wrap, silage wrap and silage tarps, Cleanfarms collects data on efficient collection, transportation and recycling practices to help transition pilots to permanent programs.

“Recycling programs for ag plastics help give farmers peace of mind that these resource materials are managed responsibly when they are no longer needed or wanted on the farm,” Friesen says.

Cleanfarms is an agricultural industry stewardship organization that contributes to a healthier environment and a sustainable future by recovering and recycling agricultural and related industry plastics, packaging and products. It is funded by its members in the crop protection, seed, fertilizer, animal health medication and grain bag industries. It has staff located in Lethbridge, Alberta; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Etobicoke, Ontario; and St-Bruno, Quebec.

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Cleanfarms.ca
Contact: Barbara McConnell   |   416-452-2373  |   bmcconnell@cleanfarms.ca

The Bovine: Finding solutions to ag plastics and welcoming youth to the table

This episode of The Bovine focuses on two topics—youth involvement and managing agricultural plastics—that are relevant to the beef industry.

In the first segment, host Debra Murphy talks to returning Finance Chair, Brodie Haugan, about his experience as a young delegate. Haugan then introduces past delegate and current ABP representative with the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group (APRG), Assar Grinde. The duo discuss APRG’s work on the Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle it! program.

The final segment features an interview with Kasko Cattle Company’s Ryan Kasko and Cleanfarms’ Davin Johnson. Kasko and Johnson talk a silage pit plastic pilot project underway in Lethbridge County.

Article with podcast