Cleanfarms Celebrates Alberta’s Leadership in Agricultural Recycling

Sep 02, 2025

Alberta, where Cleanfarms’ small container recycling program began over 35 years ago, continues to demonstrate leadership. In 2024, the ‘Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle it!’ program delivered positive results, alongside the success of the Great Twine Round-Up Contest and with support of a new province-wide recycling awareness campaign.

Alberta farmers and ranchers have long embraced responsible management of ag plastics, which started with the voluntary collection of small pesticide and fertilizer containers in 1989. The 2024 ag recycling results show a stronger-than-ever commitment from farmers and ranchers, who recovered 1,480 tonnes of ag plastics through all Cleanfarms programs in Alberta.

2024 Alberta Highlights:

Grain bags: 548,000 kg collected, keeping large volumes of plastic out of landfills.
Twine: 100,000 kg of twine was collected in 2024, including initial results from the Great Twine Round-up contest —a first-time opportunity that focused on youth engagement and resulted in more than 600 bags of twine recycled overall.
Small containers (under 23L): 456,000 kg collected, up from 416,000 kg in 2023.

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Video: Residue Management

Residue Management conservation practice manages the amount, orientation, and distribution of crop and other plant residue on the soil surface year-round while limiting soil-disturbing activities used to grow and harvest crops in systems where the field surface is tilled prior to planting. This video explores how Ryan McKenzie implemented this conservation practice on his farm in Samson, Alabama.

Practice benefits:

• Increases organic matter

• Improves air quality

• Decreases energy costs

• Reduces erosion

• Improves soil health

The Conservation at Work video series was created to increase producer awareness of common conservation practices and was filmed at various locations throughout the country. Because conservation plans are specific to the unique resource needs on each farm and also soil type, weather conditions, etc., these videos were designed to serve as a general guide to the benefits of soil and water conservation and landowners should contact their local USDA office for individual consultation.