Plastic plays an important part in the lives of Canadians and in the economy. The Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has proposed an integrated management approach to plastic products to prevent waste and pollution.

While plastic is low-cost, durable, and useful in a wide range of applications like packaging, medical personal protective equipment (PPE), construction and agriculture materials, the way plastic waste is managed in Canada is an issue of growing concern.

In late fall 2020, the ECCC began stakeholder engagement webinars with the objective to create a more resource-efficient and lifecycle approach to plastics stewardship, on land and sea.

However, agriculture is not part of the current public consultations. Canadian agriculture plastic packaging recovery began 30 years ago and continues to evolve and expand thanks to industry foresight and leadership of Cleanfarms.

Current and pending initiatives include seed, inoculant and grain bags, pesticide and fertilizer jugs, drums and totes, and finally, bale wrap and poly twine. The initiatives are commendable thanks to the proactive support of ag retailers and farmers.

There remain significant opportunities to advance agriculture plastics lifecycle management.

Click here to learn more about the proposed integrated management approach. 

Click here to view the PPT slides from previous webinars.