Part of the Co-op's product stewardship programme, Rubbish to Reusable sees Fonterra partner with Agrecovery - a not-for-profit charitable trust that has created solutions for the safe disposal of agrichemicals and the recycling of empty agrichemical containers, drums, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and LDPE plastic bags from farm products.
Funded by the levy that participating brands pay, these national product stewardship schemes reduce the environmental impact of plastics on farm by enabling the materials to be recycled and reutilised into many forms including underground cable covers and plastic plywood.
Since 2021 AgChem containers, Plasback recycling, metabolic solution bags and Nespresso coffee pods have been able to be dropped off at Farm Source stores for recycling under the Rubbish to Reusable scheme, with a good uptake from farmers. Thanks to this support it has now been extended to also include the recycling of woven PP bags - making it even easier for farmers to give their waste a second lease on life.
What are polypropylene bags (woven PP)?
Woven PP is typically used for the likes of seed, feed and fertiliser bags, and consists of polypropylene plastic threads that are woven together, creating a flexible but durable material for agricultural products. It has the recycling plastic code number 5.
What are the participating brands?
Bags from participating brands can be recycled for free across New Zealand. A full list of participating brands can be found on our website - nzfarmsource.co.nz/recycle.
For more information check out nzfarmsource.co.nz/recycle or ask your local Farm Source team.
