Developing an ag plastics recycling roadmap, 2018 to 2020
Cleanfarms is conducting consultations at the request of Manitoba Conservation and Climate, to help the province evaluate transitioning the government-funded ag plastics pilot projects into a permanent, industry-funded stewardship program.
Work to date
2018 – 2019
- Preliminary discussions with producer groups (late 2018) to inform stakeholders about learnings from the pilot projects, key challenges faced (limited recycling markets) and the benefits and financial implications of a permanent, industry-funded stewardship program.
- Completed an ag waste study to estimate the volume of ag plastics used on Manitoba farms. This data is used to estimate program costs and establish targets.
- Fielded a producer survey (2019); producers weighed in on key aspects of the program and provided input to help assess existing pilot projects.
- Pilot projects continued throughout the province (2018-2019) with a focus on increasing producer accessibility to collection sites (which is key to participation) and to continue to evaluate the availability of recycling markets. Manitoba farmers turned in 51 tonnes of ag plastics in 2019, surpassing the 34 tonnes that was collected in 2018.
2020
- Pilot projects continue.
- Based on the pilot projects and preliminary feedback from stakeholders, Cleanfarms recommends:
- A phased-in approach to a permanent, industry-funded stewardship program targeting ag-plastics which can be currently recycled. This means that the permanent, industry-funded program will allow farmers to recycle grain bags and twine. Materials like silage/bale film and netting are excluded because recycling markets are presently unavailable.
- Transitioning to an industry-funded program in December 2021. This will provide Cleanfarms with ample time to educate stewards (companies that sell grain bags and twine) about their regulatory obligations and transition collection sites to the new processes.
- Consultations, delayed due to COVID-19, are restarting in the fall of 2020. Consultations will take place online and focus on engaging producer groups, collection sites, municipalities and key government officials.
Consultations will seek input on:
- Selection of designated materials (ag plastics to be included in the industry-funded program)
- Criteria and processes to expand designated materials
- Timelines
- Best practices to increase program participation
For more information:
Please email timmerk@cleanfarms.ca
FAQs
What is an ag waste study and why is it included in this process?
There’s an old adage in waste management, that you can’t manage what you can’t measure, and ag waste studies provide just the information that’s needed for effective program development and management. They are desktop studies used to estimate waste composition and generation, typically based on:
- Units of production – e.g. head of cattle, acres per crop, which are available through Statistics Canada and other sources, and
- Waste generated per unit of production – taken from various farm level activities waste and reviewing how these inputs are packaged.
In Manitoba, insights provided from studies completed in province in 2011 (prior to the launch of the pilot programs and 2019 have provided valuable inputs to considerations for program development.
Why are pilots and other studies necessary to develop the plan?
Pilots are critical to effective program planning as they permit farmers, collection sites and program designers time to test different approaches and to seek cost-effective mechanisms for delivery. In this case, it’s become clear that Manitoba producers use a wide variety of ag plastics and in relatively small quantities compared to other Prairie provinces. Multi-year pilots that have scaled up, an ag waste study and additional work will allow program designers to develop a robust and thoughtful path forward for the province.
