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A recycling scheme for plastic agrichemicals has been introduced at Redruth Landfill site in Timaru.  Farmers can now take their empty plastic chemical containers to Redruth to be recycled. 

Farm plastic is a persistent and growing problem for farmers throughout New Zealand. Agrecovery, which started in April this year, enables farmers to dispose of their plastic containers in a responsible way.

The recycled containers would be shredded and made ready to recycle into electric cable and pipe cladding by Astron Plastics in Auckland.

Containers have to be triple rinsed to remove chemical residues, have a label, and be dry before delivery to Redruth.  The Timaru landfill site accepts these containers during all normal opening hours, seven days a week, unlike the sites in Ashburton and Rolleston that only accept the plastic on specific days.

Brand owners (chemical supply companies) who support the programme collect a levy placed on every litre of eligible products sold into the New Zealand market. This levy (13 cents per litre) is passed on to the Agrecovery foundation that pays for the costs of running the programme.  This means that there is no cost to the farmer for dropping of their containers (as long as they meet the criteria).

At present, Redruth is the only Agrecovery site in South Canterbury.

For more information on the Agrecovery scheme go to www.agrecovery.co.nz