Cleanfarms: Behind the scenes

Author: Priyangshi Bose

Priyangshi Bose is a University of Waterloo Environment, Resources and Sustainability student who spent an eight-month co-op term with Cleanfarms.

When I applied for a co-op position at Cleanfarms, I was interested in learning about how their environmental stewardship programs operated to promote sustainability within the Canadian agricultural industry, and how these programs help to divert plastic waste from landfills. Over the last eight months, I have learned that the delivery, success, and growth of these programs largely depends on the teamwork and collaboration of Cleanfarms and its various partners and stakeholders, which makes for a complex yet rewarding process.

During the initial weeks, I realized just how much there was to learn (spoiler alert: a lot!) about recycling agricultural plastics, and how Cleanfarms works with manufacturers, retailers, farmers and recyclers to deliver their programs. There is a great deal of complexity in navigating the relationships between different stakeholder groups across provinces, each with their own unique set of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations for ag plastic waste. Through the projects I have worked on during my time at Cleanfarms, I have gained a better understanding of how these factors influence the organization’s approach to relationships with various partners and stakeholders.

I had the opportunity to work on a research project dealing with behavioural trends of Canadian grower groups. The study helped analyze the preferred methods of disposal of different plastic waste generated from farms and gauge the progress of existing programs as well as support for new permanent programs within different provinces. It was interesting to see the variation of data depending on how long programs have been in place, for example, the popularity of Cleanfarms’ pesticide and fertilizer containers under 23L program, which is the company’s longest running permanent program. This is also reflected by the 2.3 million kilograms of small pesticide and fertilizer containers diverted in 2023. I also learned that grower groups increasingly support the introduction or expansion of recycling programs for more materials, which is a testament to shifting perspectives on waste disposal in the industry.

I’ve also had the opportunity to interact with multiple collection sites and farmers across Canada to organize the retrieval of ag-plastic waste for recycling, add new collection sites to Cleanfarms list of partners, as well as observe a significant increase in Cleanfarms’ member companies. These achievements can be attributed to the efforts of Cleanfarms’ team of dedicated staff, evolving EPR regulations, as well as support for more sustainable methods of waste disposal by industry partners.

All that is to say, I have gained a greater appreciation for the teamwork and cooperation needed to develop and deliver environmental stewardship programs to create a positive change and am grateful for being able to learn so much thanks to the knowledgeable, welcoming and hardworking team at Cleanfarms. As I enter my final year at university, I will be thinking about how I can utilise the skills and lessons learned to create a positive change within my community and in a professional setting.