Alberta took a step toward providing somewhere to ditch all that plastic. A pilot program funded by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry will recycle grain bags and twine through the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group's (APRG) pilot program with $750,000 in new funding.
"Making agriculture more efficient and environmentally sustainable is a win for everyone. We are tackling the longstanding problem of wasted twine and agricultural plastics with partners," says Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture The APRG is a group made up of over 20 stakeholder organizations from sectors across the province representing municipalities, producers, non-profits, recyclers and retailers among others. and Forestry.
Quick Fact
An Alberta Government 2012 study revealed that around 50% of agricultural producers were burning agricultural plastics on-farm. Sending plastics to a landfill was also a common method of disposing of agricultural plastics.
The APRG will implement the three-year pilot project and determine next steps forward including hiring a program operator to collect and recycle the materials. As it's rolled out, the plan will announce opportunities for municipalities to host collection sites. The pilot includes market research for all types of agricultural plastics, a waste characterization study to determine plastic volumes and materials, producer surveys and education about the program
Municipalities and producers can expect to hear more details about the program from the APRG as plans are rolled out in the coming months. The APRG is a group made up of over 20 stakeholder organizations from sectors across the province representing municipalities, producers, non-profits, recyclers and retailers among others.