Alberta Reviews Future of Farm Plastics

Province explores regulation for recycling farm plastics

The Government of Alberta is gathering feedback on whether agricultural plastics should be managed under a provincial regulatory framework. This initiative is being led by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas together with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. 

The consultation is focused on several key areas, including the types of plastics that could be included, how to define obligated producers, setting clear recycling targets, ensuring strong service standards for collection, and understanding the potential cost impacts. 

Since 2019, Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation has supported the Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It! pilot program. This initiative, operated by Cleanfarms in partnership with the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group and administered by Alberta Beef Producers, focuses on recycling grain bags and twine.  

With help from a growing number of collection partners, the program has successfully diverted millions of kilograms of agricultural plastics from landfills. 

The success of the pilot has highlighted two important factors for recycling: proper preparation of clean materials and easy access to local collection sites. These steps make recycling both practical and sustainable for farmers and rural communities. 

The provincial government has extended the pilot program until December 2025. However, with the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulation already in place, officials are now considering whether agricultural plastics should be included under the same system. This would mean producers share responsibility for managing recycling efforts. 

An agriculture plastics survey is available online and takes about 25 minutes to complete, the deadline for survey completion is September 12, 2025. Stakeholders, including farmers, industry groups, and community members, are encouraged to share their views. 

“Gathering this feedback will help us build a system that is practical, effective, and environmentally responsible,” say program officials. 

2024 Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It! Program Highlights 

Alberta farmers continued to demonstrate strong commitment to agricultural sustainability in 2024, with impressive results across several recycling and safe disposal programs: 

• Grain Bags: A total of 548,000 kg of grain bags were collected, helping divert significant volumes of plastic from landfills. 

• Twine: 100,000 kg of twine was recycled, including early contributions from the Great Twine Round-up contest — a new initiative aimed at engaging youth. The contest led to the collection of over 600 bags of twine, marking a successful first year. 

• Small Containers (under 23L): Farmers returned 456,000 kg of small containers, a notable increase from 416,000 kg in 2023. 

• Non-Deposit Bulk Containers: Approximately 31,300 units were returned for recycling across the province. 

• Seed, Pesticide & Inoculant Bags: Farmers contributed 10,700 kg of these bags for recycling. 

• Unwanted Pesticides & Old Livestock/Equine Medications (UPLM): A combined 68,800 kg of materials were safely collected in Southern Alberta. Additional UPLM collections are underway in Northern Alberta and the Peace Region. 

• Other Agricultural Films: Pilot programs funded by the federal government and Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) resulted in the collection of 15,500 kg of bale wrap and silage plastic. 

Photo Credit: Cleanfarms