Canadian county diverts agricultural plastics

Once again, Oxford County, Ontario, farmers can again take in a pilot program to recycle agricultural plastics by bringing them to the Oxford County Waste Management Facility (OCWMF) near Woodstock, Ontario, about 90 miles southwest of Toronto.

The county is providing collection bags to farmers free of charge to be filled with material and then dropped off at the OCWMF for recycling.

The agriculture plastic program accepts silage bags, bunker covers, bale wraps, fertilizer bags and salt bags (black, blue and white) while charging CAD$50 ($36.60) per metric ton.

Oxford County officials estimate farmers there generate approximately 300 metric tons of bale and silage wrap annually. In 2023, 5 metric tons of agricultural plastics were collected via the program and diverted from the landfill.

The program’s managers ask participants to sort plastic according to type and that materials be reasonably clean and free of contamination, packed in appropriate bags and tied up.

Unacceptable materials include net wrap and twine mesh.

An Oxford County dairy farmer quoted in a CBC report on the program says he stores plastic to be diverted in a shed to “let it dry out,” and then places into one of the program’s recycling bag until the bag is full.

The Ontario county says its agricultural wrap pilot program supports its Zero Waste Plan and its goal of extending the life of its landfill to the year 2100.