How Do Canadian Farms Recycle and Dispose of Waste – An Honest Look at Farm Waste

Canadian farms and agriculture farming in general generates a number of waste products seemingly daily. Things like empty pesticide containers, oil filters, containers, used tires, used equipment, and more.

In an era where consumers are more closely encouraging the corporations they buy from to responsibly recycle or handle the materials they are manufacturing or selling, farmers are sort of caught in between. Farmers produce a lot of waste and unlike corporations, they don’t have resources to carry out eco-friendly recycling or waste processing on farms in every case.

Avoid burning waste

For decades, farmers will remove waste products and either burn them or turn them over to a landfill. By focusing on how we can maximize the potential of farm waste products in Canada, landfill reductions can be made, materials that have been traditionally viewed as waste can potentially by remade into valuable products, and hazardous materials can be safely handled. Regardless, it’s important to note that one should avoid burning waste by all means. In fact, burning some waste products can violate certain environmental or waste legislation.

Farmers want to recycle

If there’s a way to recycle and process waste right, farmers want to know. Farm groups have encouraged Canada to help them recycling more plastic waste and have sought programs to help them move waste off-property and into proper waste management channels. Things like grain bags, plastic twine, and other forms of giant plastics are produced by the ton on farms. Infrastructure or lack thereof has meant many farms having to burn this waste or submit it to municipal landfills. Less than 20 percent of farmers in farm-friendly communities in Alberta send recycling, as an example of the lack of initiative geared towards supporting our farmers.

The role every stakeholder takes

Canadian farmers want to recycling so let’s give them a way! It’s not singularly the farmer’s responsibility to ensure waste products are recycled. There’s a responsibility on all involved to responsibly dispose of, recycle, and monitor waste.

 Manufacturers are responsible for developing and having quality recyclable products. Collecting and ensuring there’s a way to recycle said products also partially relies on manufacturers playing a part.
 Provincial governments are tasked with enacting legislation and regulations, implementing programs, and building the necessary infrastructure to recycle and dispose of waste in accordance with input from farmers and farmer groups.
 Municipal governments are needed to collect waste, build and maintain those waste management facilities, and help facilitate proper waste disposal.
 Retailers even have a role to play, at least those who are in regular contact with farmers. Retailers can launch stewardship programs, collection programs, or provide incentive to recycle.
 Waste management service provides have to be there on time and as expected to collect, recycle, and dispose of waste products. They must also ensure waste materials are adequately prepared i.e. sorted, rinsed, bundled, or otherwise.

What sort of programs exist for farm waste in Canada?

Farm waste recycling programs in Canada vary province to province. The most common farm recycling waste programs focus in on things like pesticide containers, the collection of obsolete pesticides, farm tires, oil filters and containers, and paints and solvents. An area that isn’t included in these programs is agricultural plastic waste. So many farmers use plastics in their day to day operations and burning them – which for a lot of farmers is the only way to get rid of them – releases potent environmental toxins into the air. It’s estimated annually more than 40,000 tonnes of plastic waste is created on Canadian farms.

Provinces are very behind on farm waste

Farm waste doesn’t make very many headlines, unfortunately. It’s not as fast-growing or immediate a need, at least this is the perception. For farmers and their families however, they aren’t being provided the opportunity corporations and households are – the opportunity to change what they’re doing and better waste management practices.

Alberta is considering a program to collect farm waste plastics however hasn’t committed to anything definite. Manitoba collects grain bags and twine, which is excellent. Saskatchewan launched a number of pilot programs looking at farm waste and has recently launched some initiatives targeting farm waste.

Other provinces however do not have the same interest in looking at farm waste. The federal government is mandated to take care of all hazardous waste and so, they’re responsible for this. Complicating farm waste initiatives are that there really isn’t a demand currently for these sort of finished recycled products, meaning private corporations are unlikely to pounce on it without government regulation.

The beauty of farm recycling for job creation

In waste management circles, we know how economically viable recycling can be and in farm recycling, this is no different. A recent study by Cleanfarms suggested that in their farm waste recovery programs, for every 1,000 tonnes of waste collected, 16 jobs were created relating directly to the recycling of this waste. Imagine what could happen if programs or organizations such as Cleanfarms were to come up in every province. The recycling jobs created would easily number in the hundreds.

Is a biodegradable solution the answer to farm plastic waste?

In Ontario, something very interesting is happening. In the province, over 3,500 tonnes of agriculture plastic waste is generated every year. The OFA is supporting a research program looking to develop biodegradable bale wrap and twine for farms. If successful, this would use Ontario-grown crops and convert those into eco-friendly farm plastics that could then be buried safely. It would completely eliminate the need to burn plastic waste or bury it in landfills. It however remains to be seen how far such a research program gets.

What is the future of farm recycling in Canada?

Though the present isn’t anything to necessarily take pride in, we believe the future of farm recycling in Canada is a bright one. We know there’s a way to solve the tonnes of unrecyclable plastic waste produced on farms in Canada. We also know there are dozens of programs countrywide servicing farmers’ needs to move waste out and get it off the farm. Farmers want better. Governments are moving very, very slow on this and have ignored the calls of farmers. There’s no question about that. But, things are happening. As more provinces push forward on farm waste recycling, we expect it to become more accessible to more farmers in time.