Cleanfarms celebrates 4 years of agriculture recycling programs
Agriculture recycling has increased and expanded across Saskatchewan, as Cleanfarms celebrates four years of its grain bag collection program.
Recycling collection sites are set up at 47 municipal landfills across the province, giving producers a place to take their used grain bags.
“It eliminates the need for landfills for these products,” Barry Friesen, executive director for Cleanfarms, said.
According to the company, the agriculture industry in Saskatchewan accumulates about 4,000 tonnes of plastic grain bags per year.
In 2018, Cleanfarms shipped about 8,500 tonnes of grain bag plastic for recycling, with 60 per cent of grain bags sold in Saskatchewan in 2020 being returned for recycling.
“In the future we will see what we call a circular economy,” Friesen said. “They will make these bags right back into new agriculture products. In fact it may even go into new grain bags in the future.”
With the success of the grain bag collection program, Cleanfarms started more pilot programs to collect other recyclable material like twine.
“A lot of this material is kind of a problem for landfills. It gets caught up in wheels, tires and agriculture equipment,” Tammy Shields, Cleanfarms western coordinator, said.
According to Shields, twine can be recycled into many different products. It’s made of 100 per cent polypropylene, which can be used in car parts, roofing materials, as well as for twine.
She said adding this program opens the door for more types of farming operations to the world of recycling.
“Where grain bags are, isn’t necessarily where the twine is,” Shields added. “The ranchers don’t necessarily overlap with the grain bags.”
Shields said the company has also just signed a partnership agreement with the Dairy Farmers of Canada to start a pilot program for recycling silage tarps and bail wrap, which is expected to begin in the near future.
A list of collection locations and current recyclable materials is available online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.