Aduro Clean Technologies and Cleanfarms Sign MOU to Collaborate on Development of Commercial Pathway for Challenging Agricultural Plastics

Multi-phase collaboration to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of Aduro’s Hydrochemolytic™ Technology as a potential commercial-scale solution for chemical recycling of on-farm plastic waste.

Multi-phase collaboration to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of Aduro’s Hydrochemolytic™ Technology as a potential commercial-scale solution for chemical recycling of on-farm plastic waste.

LONDON, Ontario, May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aduro Clean Technologies Inc. (“Aduro” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: ADUR) (CSE: ACT) (FSE: 9D5), a clean technology company using the power of chemistry to transform lower-value feedstocks, like waste plastics, heavy bitumen, and renewable oils, into resources for the 21st century, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Cleanfarms Inc. (“Cleanfarms”), which is known as AgriRÉCUP in Quebec. Cleanfarms is a Canadian Producer Responsibility Organization (“PRO”) focused on agricultural waste management.

The MOU outlines a multi-phase collaboration to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of using Aduro’s Hydrochemolytic™ Technology (“HCT”) as a potential commercial-scale solution for the chemical recycling of on-farm plastic waste that is currently difficult to manage through conventional methods.

Read the full press release

Quebec’s agricultural plastics recycling efforts featured in La Presse

Bags of agricultural plastics awaiting recycling, reflecting the increasing success of programs in Quebec

La Presse highlights the growing success of agricultural plastics recycling programs in Quebec, featuring AgriRÉCUP and the farmers leading the way. The article reports that 4.2 million kg of ag plastics were collected in 2024—up from 2.9 million in 2023. Christine Lajeunesse, Eastern Director at AgriRÉCUP, notes that farmer participation has exceeded expectations. Their continued involvement helps shape a more sustainable future for farming in the province.

Read the full article (available in French only): Le plastique est dans le pré – La Presse

Efforts to address plastics used in agriculture taking root featured in Globe & Mail’s Next-Generation Farming Report

Click to enlarge image

The Globe and Mail “Next Generation Farming Report” highlights Cleanfarms’ goal to keep agricultural plastics out of landfill and manage on-farm agricultural waste materials in the most sustainable way possible. Cleanfarms has been steadily expanding its range of programs and is currently operating pilot projects to develop efficient ways to deal with bale wrap, in particular.

Visit: Efforts to address plastics used in agriculture

Cleanfarms has been steadily expanding its range of programs for recycling agricultural plastics. It is currently operating pilot projects to develop efficient ways to deal with bale wrap.

Cleanfarms/AgriRÉCUP Hosts Federal Agriculture Minister’s Fact Finding Tour of Ag Plastic Recycling

Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, learned firsthand how Canadian farmers/growers are adopting practices to expand the return of used agricultural plastics so these resource materials can be recycled, helping to feed Canada’s emerging circular economy.

Hosted Wednesday, June 7 by AgriRÉCUP, Minister Bibeau met with Executive Director, Barry Friesen to tour the Écocentre de Sainte-Scholastique, in Mirabel, Quebec. AgriRÉCUP is Cleanfarms’ operation in Quebec. The ecocenter works as a partner of AgriRÉCUP by operating a collection site where farmers can take used agricultural packaging and products so they can be recycled. AgriRÉCUP consolidates the materials and transports them to recycling facilities as part of our mandate as an industry stewardship organization to recover used plastic products and packaging for recycling or safe disposal on behalf of ag industry brand owners.

Also on hand to welcome the Minister were Patrick Charbonneau, Mayor of Mirabel; as well as other Mirabel representatives; Stéphane Michaud, General Manager, Corporation for the Protection of the Environment; Danny Laramée, Division Head, Corporation for the Protection of the Environment; and Jérôme Duguay, Director of Environmental Services.

Ag plastics are important tools that help farmers store feed for their livestock, bring crop inputs to their farm, and control moisture.

Cleanfarms/AgriRÉCUP and the federal Agriculture Ministry, under the leadership of Minister Bibeau, have worked collaboratively in several Canadian provinces since 2019 in a multi-year project aimed at increasing farmers’ access to recycling programs and exploring ways to deliver long-term, permanent programs. The pilots will help Canadian farmers continue to improve the sustainability of their operations. The project is funded in part by the Government of Canada through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program (CASPP), a $50.3 million, five-year investment to help the agricultural sector adapt and remain competitive.

Developing better management options for ag plastics recovery and recycling is central to Cleanfarms/ AgriRÉCUP’s goal of “Building a Zero-Plastic-Waste Strategy for Agriculture”.  Cleanfarms designs the pilots to ground-proof concepts and practical operations to recover the ag plastic materials that farmers regularly use. The aim is to increase the amount of ag plastic collected so that less of it is disposed of in landfills or burned or buried behind farm gates. Burning and burying plastics releases toxins into the environment.

The agricultural industry in Quebec generates about 11,000* tonnes of agricultural plastic waste annually.  AgriRÉCUP has been operating comprehensive, multi-material pilot programs for three years to recover these plastic resources for recycling in the circular economy.

Used ag plastics collected at the ecocentre include livestock silage bags, bale wrap, twine and tarps. When recycled, these products are remanufactured into new products such as plastic bags, construction sheeting, composite dimensional lumber, and agricultural fence posts.

Minister Bibeau represents the Riding of Compton-Stanstead in Quebec. Appointed the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food in 2019, she is the first woman in Canadian history to hold the position.

About Cleanfarms

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, ag plastics industries. It has staff located in Lethbridge, Alberta; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Etobicoke, Ontario; and St-Bruno, Quebec.

*Quantity based on Recyc Québec 2019 Ag plastics study

“Student innovation helps Fraser Valley farmers tackle weighty plastic problem” featured in CBC News

British Columbia farmers are now able to easily handle and recycle their plastic, thanks to innovations from some University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) students and Cleanfarms.

Read: Student innovation helps Fraser Valley farmers tackle weighty plastic problem

Closed Loop-The Future for Agriculture Films Recycling

In early 2022, Berry Global began a collaboration with Cleanfarms and PolyAg Recycling in Canada to close the loop in the recovery of used agricultural films and grain bag material in order to create new products with recycled content. Source: Berry Global

Read the article

“Moving toward a circular economy with agricultural recycling programs” featured in Globe & Mail’s Next Generation Farming Report

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

The Globe and Mail “Next Generation Farming Report” highlights Cleanfarms’ goal to keep plastics, like pesticide and fertilizer jugs, twine, bale and silage wrap, out of landfill and manage on-farm agricultural waste materials in the most sustainable way possible.

Visit: Moving toward a circular economy with agricultural recycling programs

Compactor Presses Proving Useful to Manage On-farm Used Silage and Bale Wrap Plastics

Ag forward: Managing on-farm plastics – Newsletter, #6

Many beef and dairy producers in Alberta protect livestock feed by covering it with special plastic film widely used in agriculture today.

Whether it’s silage bags or tubes, large tarps that cover the top of the silage piles, or plastic stretch film used to wrap hay bales, once the plastic is removed and no longer useful, it becomes waste. Historically, the only disposal options for these materials were landfilling or piling them behind the farm gate in hopes of a future recycling program.

Fortunately, a recycling option is now available for farmers in several parts of the province…

Read the full article: Ag Forward #6
View past editions: Ag forward: Managing on-farm plastics

Prince Edward Island Approves Cleanfarms’ EPR Product Stewardship Program

Continuing pesticide & fertilizer container plus seed & pesticide bags collections and adding fertilizer bags, bale and silage wrap and twine.

On October 26, Prince Edward Island (PE) approved Cleanfarms’ Product Stewardship Program (PSP), which will ensure that PE farmers can keep more and more ag plastics out of landfill and recirculated into the economy. The PSP responded to the provincial government’s regulation requiring the agricultural industry to operate and fund programs to recover and recycle ag packaging and products used in the province.

The PE program is the first government regulated extended producer responsibility program for agricultural plastics in the Maritime provinces.

Click here for approval-related documents.

What does this mean for the PEI’s agricultural sector?

Good agricultural end of life stewardship will continue and expand

  • Empty pesticide and fertilizer container recycling & seed and pesticide bag collection programs will continue.
  • Next year, farmers will have the opportunity to divert their fertilizer bags.
  • Existing pilots for bale/silage wrap and twine will expand over the next year.

New stakeholder advisory committee

The team at Cleanfarms is looking forward to setting up a Stakeholder Advisory Committee. This committee not will only advise Cleanfarms in implementation of the PSP, it will also help to disseminate information to help keep stakeholders informed.

PreviousNext
1234

For more information:

Cleanfarms will continue to add new information to a dedicated webpage for this program as it develops.

We encourage you to contact Kim Timmer, Cleanfarms’ Director of Stakeholder Relations & Policy, for any questions as the program develops.

Building on leadership

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, ag plastics industries. It currently has offices located in Lethbridge, Alberta; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Etobicoke, Ontario; and St-Bruno, Quebec.

For more than 30 years, farmers have recycled their empty pesticide containers through a voluntary, industry-funded recycling program, with ag-retailers acting as collection points. Fertilizer containers, along with seed and pesticide bags, were then added to the types of packaging that farmers turned in to their ag-retailer for proper recycling or disposal. Most recently, Island Waste Management Corporation (IWMC) began to work with farmers to recycle other types of agricultural plastics, like silage bags, silage bunker covers and tarps and bale/silage wrap. A Cleanfarms-led pilot project then brought a baler twine recycling pilot into the province.