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CANADA'S FARM SHOW
Presented By Viterra
June 2022
CLEANFARMS
MOOSE JAW, SK — Cleanfarms’ Western Region
Program Coordinator, Tammy Shields, has been recog-
nized as a pioneer in agricultural recycling for her
ground-breaking work establishing grain bag recycling
in Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council (SWRC)
presented its 2022 prestigious Waste Minimization
Award to Ms. Shields on April 28 at its annual Waste
ReForum conference. The award honours an individual
who has made an extraordinary contribution to waste
reduction in the province.
“When we looked at how agricultural plastics recy-
cling has evolved in this province, Tammy Shields was a
key driver. Everyone who is involved in recycling grain
bags in Saskatchewan has benefited from her dedica-
tion,” said SWRC Executive Director Joanne Fedyk.
A native of Saskatchewan, Shields lives in Moose Jaw.
Her education as an agrologist and her career path put
her in fields with farmers, in municipal council chambers
with elected representatives, at landfill sites with atten-
dants and in board rooms with corporate executives. If
the discussion involved agricultural sustainability, Shields
took on the task and was equally comfortable in all
those settings. Well known for her environmentally-fo-
cused work among her peers, Shields also served as a
director of the SWRC and worked with the Moose Jaw
River Watershed Stewards.
Under Tammy’s leadership, the Moose Jaw River
Watershed Stewards was the first watershed group to
tackle household hazardous waste as well as agricultural
plastics. That early effort resulted in the recycling of
more than 450 tonnes of grain bag plastic.
“Tammy committed a lot of time to learning about all
aspects of the agricultural plastics industry and is always
willing to share her knowledge and learn from others to
balance the producers concerns and protecting the
environment. I do believe that she was one of the
pioneers for where we are today in keeping ag plastics
out of landfills or being disposed of on farm. Tammy so
rightly deserves to be recognized for her contribution to
the plastic recycling program in Saskatchewan,” said
John Kindrachuk, executive director of the Redberry
Lake Biosphere Region.
Shields is widely considered to be the “go-to” expert
on grain bag recycling and it was that reputation that
led Cleanfarms to invite her to join the team in 2017 as
the stewardship organization was developing a product
stewardship program plan for the grain bag industry
under the province’s new regulation.
“Tammy kick-started grain bag recycling in Saskatche-
wan and is the driving force behind the province’s strong
track record for responsible management of these items.
It didn’t matter if farmers used three grain bags or three
hundred, Tammy had time to work with everyone,” said
Cleanfarms Executive Director Barry Friesen. “Her
passion for agriculture combined with her dedication to
promoting sustainability made her an ideal recipient for
this award. We are very proud of her.”
Today, Shields not only oversees 45 grain bag recy-
cling collection sites in Saskatchewan, she is also
helping to organize grain bag and other ag plastic
recycling in Alberta and Manitoba.
Cleanfarms is an agricultural industry stewardship
organization that contributes to a healthier environment
and a sustainable future by recovering and recycling
agricultural and related industry plastics, packaging and
products. It is funded by its members in the crop
protection, seed, fertilizer, animal health medication and
grain bag industries. It has staff located in Lethbridge,
Alberta; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; Winnipeg, Manito-
ba; Etobicoke, Ontario; and St-Bruno, Quebec.
CLEANFARMS’ TAMMY SHIELDS WINS PRESTIGIOUS WASTE MINIMIZATION
AWARD FOR GROUND-BREAKINGWORK IN GRAIN BAG RECYCLING
www.cleanfarms.caThe Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council (SWRC) presented its
2022 prestigious Waste Minimization Award to Tammy Shields of
Moose Jaw on April 28 at its annual Waste ReForum conference in
Regina. With Ms. Shields is Henry Mutafya, Environmental Specialist at
SaskTel which sponsored the SWRC awards program. The award
honours an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to
waste reduction in the province. Ms. Shields was recognized as a
pioneer in agricultural recycling for her ground-breaking work over the
past 12 years helping to establish grain bag recycling in Saskatchewan.
Ms. Shields is the Western Region Program Coordinator for Clean-
farms, a national agricultural industry stewardship organization that
develops and implements recycling programs for agricultural plastics,
packaging and products. – Cleanfarms photo