AgRecovery leads rural plastics push
A rural waste scheme is forecasting record growth as more farmers and growers look to recycle rather than burn and bury their old containers, drums and chemicals.
The AgRecovery rural recycling programme started in 2007 and since then has recycled 1.5 million containers.
It had collected more than 3400 large drums, in sizes from 61 litres to 210 litres, since July 2020 from around the country and it had another 1100 booked to collect in February 2021.
In November, its collection site in Blenheim had 2444 containers dropped off in one day.
Total volume of plastic collected and recycled was up by 34.4 per cent compared to the same time last year. The whole process is completed in New Zealand with no need to send material overseas.
AgRecovery had a network of 94 collection sites around the country and was looking to add six more before June, to make it 100.
It also planned 13, One-Stop Shop ‘‘pop-up’’ events in 2020-21 which were used to break down the barriers preventing farmers and growers from recycling.
The event was also used to collect and trial recycling for new products such as seed, feed, and fertiliser bags, to include in the scheme permanently. The next one will be held in the Waikato in February.
AgRecovery expected to see more containers, held on-farm during the Covid-19 alert levels, begin to appear at collection sites over the next few months.
New laws on the horizon which could make it mandatory for farm chemical manufacturers to join a product stewardship scheme, like AgRecovery, could also push up demand long term.
AgRecovery’s chairwoman is Adrienne Wilcock, a dairy farmer from Matamata who is also an elected member on the MatamataPiako District Council.
‘‘We are definitely tracking ahead in terms of the amount of product being presented for collection,’’ Wilcock said.
During 2018-19, AgRecovery recorded a 43 per cent increase in plastic collected, from 306 tonnes to 437t.
‘‘We managed to repurpose about 50 per cent of containers sold which is an increase from about three years ago when it was at 30 per cent.’’
Collection sites were typically next to an AgRecovery brand partner, which paid it a levy, so the containers could be recycled for free.
‘‘It’s a proper product stewardship scheme and it’s about ethical disposal and recycling of all plastic that goes into making the containers.’’
Each collection site had a large container, where waste could be dropped off.
A mobile shredder processed the plastic at each site to maxmise capacity of trucks taking the waste to Astron Sustainability in Auckland.
From there, the plastic could be repurposed into underground electrical cable cover, plastic plywood or plastic bags, as a few examples.
AgRecovery had also recovered 109,509kgs of chemicals from rural properties since 2009.
Some included outdated chemicals like DDT, an old insecticide, lurking in the back of sheds.
‘‘Farmers aren’t sure what to do with them so we’ve been working with Waikato Regional Council to set up collection points, outside of the work we do with our brands.’’
AgRecovery had already run nine of the 13 One-Stop Shop events planned for 2020-21.
More than 21 tonnes of waste was collected at the nine events, including 6795kg of plastic from agchem containers and drums, over 2500kg of seed, feed and fertiliser bags, 6594kg of waste oil and 5628kg of unused or unwanted agrichemicals.
The next One-Stop Shop event will be held near Cambridge on February 16 and will be a first for the Waipa¯ district.
Waipa¯ district councillor and Te Awamutu dairy farmer Susan O’Regan said it will be a great chance for farmers to deal with farm waste in an efficient, safe and managed way.
‘‘I’ve been along to a similar OneStop Shop event in Matamata and it was great to see farmers and growers dealing with waste in one go.
‘‘We have to ensure farm waste is recovered and reused and doesn’t end up in landfills or being burned – it is part of our duty as farmers and growers who care for their land.’’
The programme is part-funded by the Ministry for Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund.
People will need to register for the One-Stop Shop to find out the location of the event. It also gives AgRecovery a chance to plan what services were needed.
To find out more, visit www. agrecovery.co.nz.