Rewards set to get more farmers recycling

New Zealand’s leading rural recycling program is running a rewards initiative this autumn to encourage more farmers to recycle.

The Agrecovery Rural Recycling Programme is offering 10 rural retailer vouchers to the value of $500 as an incentive to ensure famers and growers protect the environment. The initiative aims to encourage farmers, growers and contractors to make the most of this free recycling program for 1-60 L plastic agrichemical, animal health and dairy hygiene containers.

Recent media coverage has highlighted that many farmers are still unaware of, or are not utilising, recycling solutions for their on-farm waste plastics. This is particularly surprising when some recycling programs are free to use, according to Duncan Scotland of Agrecovery Rural Recycling.

“Agrecovery provides several free programs, including plastic container recycling and large drum recovery,” explains Scotland. “In addition, our chemical recovery program has funding, which means that some chemicals are eligible for free collection while others may qualify for subsidies around collection and disposal costs.”

According to Scotland, these programs are well used in horticulture and viticulture where Agrecovery is part of quality assurance programs such as NZ GAP; however, uptake has been slower in pastoral farming and the dairy sector.

“Anyone who recycles eligible containers with the Agrecovery Container recycling program during March and April 2012 will go in the draw to win one of 10 $500 vouchers to spend with their preferred rural supplier,” he says.

“It’s a useful prize and we hope it will encourage more farmers and growers to get on board and make the most of this free recycling program.

“And, of course, the promotion is also open to new and existing members in all rural sectors and the turf industry, who utilise the program to avoid unnecessary burning and dumping of plastic containers.”

The Agrecovery Container recycling program is funded by 56 of New Zealand’s leading manufacturers and distributors of agrichemicals, fertilisers, dairy hygiene, animal health and biological products. Empty triple-rinsed plastic containers (1-60 L in size) from these companies are eligible for free recycling at 70 collection sites around the country.

“This is product stewardship in action; supporting New Zealand’s clean green image and access to export markets with increasingly high environmental demands,” says Scotland.

For full details of participating brands and local collection sites, visit www.agrecovery.co.nz or freephone 0800 247 326.