Farmers in Alberta can now recycle grain bags and twine under the Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It! pilot program.
This page provides all the information you need to be able to participate fully in this three-year program.
- Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It! program background
- Additional projects related to the pilot program:
- Other Ag-related waste materials that Alberta farmers can recycle and manage safely
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.
Cleanfarms welcomes your registration for consideration as a collection site for the program. Please sign up today.
For additional details about this program or collection site locations, contact:
Davin Johnson, Alberta Program Advisor
403-942-6012 | johnsond@cleanfarms.ca
Grain Bags
Follow these 3 steps to ensure that your used grain bags can be accepted and recycled:
Shake –Remove debris; grain bags need to be as clean as possible with care to remove as much organic material (spoilage, dirt, etc.) before or during rolling. Excessively dirty or loose/unrolled bags may be rejected or subject to a landfill tipping fee or additional charges at drop off.- Roll –Prepare grain bags by tightly rolling with a mechanical grain bag roller or baler, and then securing tightly with twine. In Alberta, grain bag rollers and compactors are available for use at some but not all collection sites. Contact your local collection site to inquire if a grain bag roller is available for use.
- Return – Please contact your local pilot collection site prior to dropping off material if unloading assistance is required and if you are unsure if you have prepared it properly. Some, but not all, Alberta collection sites may also accept properly prepared twine (excluding net wrap) for recycling.
What‘s In & What’s Out for Grain Bags
| What’s In | What’s Out |
|---|---|
|
*Some sites that have a compactor may be able to accept unrolled or hand-rolled grain bags. Contact your local collection site for further information. |
Machine Rolled and Secured with Twine
No Hand-Rolled Bags
No Loose Drop-Offs
No Silage Tarps or Other Material
Grain Bag FAQs
Do all Alberta pilot sites collect grain bags along with twine?
There will be some variation between sites – please call ahead to check what your local site collects.
This program is a pilot which means that we are testing out recycling markets and program logistics. Collection sites may collect grain bags only, twine only or both based on the types of farms in the region and/or resources/equipment available.
Why do I need to use a separate mechanical roller instead of hand rolling or rolling the bag with my extractor?
Generally, plastics that are hand rolled, or rolled off an extractor, or collected loose, take up a large amount of space, are time consuming and difficult to handle with equipment, and they weigh very little, which is inefficient for transportation to a recycling facility, and the recyclers will not accept the material when it is loose.
Depending on the brand and model of your extractor, the bags may still be rolled very loosely which requires re-rolling before it can be efficiently transported to- and accepted by a recycling facility. Please contact your local collection site prior to drop-off to ensure your bags are acceptable for recycling.
My extractor has a rolling arm, is this sufficient?
Depending on the brand and model of your extractor, the bags may still be rolled very loosely which requires re-rolling before it can be efficiently transported to- and accepted by a recycling facility. Please contact your local collection site prior to drop-off to ensure your bags are acceptable for recycling.
Where can I rent or purchase a grain bag roller?
Please contact your local collection site or County/MD office to see if a grain bag roller is available to borrow or rent. Contact info@cleanfarms.ca for a list of known grain bag roller manufacturers.
Is funding available to farmers for grain bag rollers?
Alberta producers can apply for 50% funding towards the purchase of a grain bag roller or a compactor under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) program.
Can I bring other types of ag plastics to a collection site?
Call your collection site first. Some sites are diverting other agricultural plastics from landfill. These practices are separate from this government funded pilot.
What about bulk bags, seed bags and pesticide bags?
Cleanfarms is in the final year of pilot programming in Alberta for a return to ag-retail for these materials. Please visit the SPI Program page for a map of the current participating retailers.
What about silage plastic and bale wrap?
Cleanfarms has recently launch a pilot program to collect silage plastic and bale wrap. Please visit the AB bale wrap and silage plastic program page for further details.
How do I recycle my other agricultural plastics?
Depending on the type of ag plastic, it may be collected at your municipal waste transfer site, landfill, or ag-retailer and then shipped to recycling markets. For further information, please visit our Alberta Program & Events page and click on the material you wish to recycle. If the material you are trying to recycle is not listed with a province with program, please contact our general information line at info@cleanfarms.ca for recycling options in your area.
Twine
Follow these 3 steps to ensure that your used twine can be accepted and recycled:
Shake – Remove as much debris, snow or ice as possible. Excessively dirty or contaminated twine may be rejected or subject to a landfill tipping fee or additional charges at drop off.- Bag – Place loose twine in a clear collection bag, poke holes in the bottom to drain moisture, and secure bag closed with twine or a zip tie. Please do not knot the twine. Twine collection bags made from 90% PCR content with perforated holes in the bottom are available at no cost to producers and can be obtained from pilot collection sites and select County/MD offices. Contact your County/MD office for availability.
- Return – Please contact your local pilot collection site prior to dropping off material if unloading assistance is required and if you are unsure if you have prepared it properly.
What‘s In & What’s Out for Twine
| What’s In | What’s Out |
|---|---|
|
|
Clean, Dry and Bagged Twine
No Net Wrap
No Nylon Rope or Fibre Twine
No Hay or Other Material
Twine FAQs
Do all Alberta pilot sites collect grain bags along with twine?
There will be some variation between sites – please call ahead to check what your local site collects.
This program is a pilot which means that we are testing out recycling markets and program logistics. Collection sites may collect grain bags only, twine only or both based on the types of farms in the region and/or resources/equipment available.
Can I use my seed or bulk tote bags as a collection bag?
Please call your collection site first. Some sites are accepting twine collected this way.
Why is net wrap not accepted?
Recycling markets are not currently available for net wrap.
If you co-mingle/mix net wrap and twine in the same collection bag, the whole bag will need to be disposed of, as it is too costly to separate them for recycling. Please ensure that you only place clean twine in a collection bag for recycling.
How do I recycle my other agricultural plastics?
Depending on the type of ag plastic, it may be collected at your municipal waste transfer site, landfill, or ag-retailer and then shipped to recycling markets. For further information, please visit our Alberta Program & Events page and click on the image of material you wish to recycle. If the material you are trying to recycle is not listed with a province with program, please contact our general information line at info@cleanfarms.ca for recycling options in your area.
View your Alberta Collection Sites in a full screen map.
