Farmers are coming under far more scrutiny these days by regulators and the public says Peter Thomson of Agrispray and Equipment in Mosgiel.
Peter Thomson, Agrispray and Equipment in Mosgiel
Agrispray run a specialist agrichemical and spray machinery retail business and host the local Agrecovery collection site.
Sales and Technical Manager, Peter, believes responsible disposal of spray containers is paramount for their business: “It’s just good stewardship”.
As suppliers to a wide range of industries, Agrispray and Equipment Limited deal with most agrichemical users.
“Our industry tries to follow the principles of responsible and effective use of agrichemicals. I think recycling fits into that quite well as does hosting the recycling site,” says Peter.
He has been in the industry since 1974 and recalls the transition from steel or tin containers to plastics. “It’s not that long ago every container was labelled ‘Burn when wind permits’ for disposal,” Peter says.
Burning of plastics has gradually become much stricter with the introduction of the Resource Management Act and council air quality plans. “Our industry had to come up with some sort of a solution,” recalls Peter. “If you can’t burn, you’ve got to find another way. And since it takes something like 300 years before they start to break down in the landfill, burying wasn’t a sustainable practice either.”
The agrichemical industry responded and put a lot of effort and investment into setting up Agrecovery to enable recycling of the plastic containers. “It’s a great scheme, it’s free and works really well – I can’t see why people wouldn’t use it,” says Peter.
Another important aspect is that a growing number of farmers and growers are becoming part of quality assurance or GAP [Good Agricultural Practice] programmes for export markets. These require empty agrichemical containers to be recycled through Agrecovery.
“It’s not just about the perception of the public in New Zealand or doing the right thing for the regulators here, it’s also about good management in terms of our overseas trading partners. They want to see best practice,” Peter says.
The business gets extremely positive feedback from their customers. “They can’t burn, and it’s not good practice to bury, so as far as they’re concerned there’s only one scheme for disposal and that’s Agrecovery.”
Peter is convinced about the importance of the programme, and says “It’s about good product stewardship for all and, as a responsible company, the Agrecovery scheme is a really good solution for us and our customers.”
Location and Opening Hours: Agrispray and Equipment Limited are located at 51 Main South Rd, East Taieri, Mosgiel and are open Monday to Friday from 8am – 5pm. Find your local site.