The number of farmers and growers joining Agrecovery jumped by over 50 percent during the first quarter of 2013 due to the programme’s recent membership drive putting $5000 in rewards up for grabs.
All existing and new Agrecovery members who recycled their plastic agrichemical, animal health and dairy hygiene containers at any of 70 nationwide collection sites during February and March were put into the draw to win one of ten $500 vouchers to spend at the rural supplier of their choice.
The winners, ranging from Cambridge in the north to Balclutha in the south, came from a range of areas within the primary sector including orchards, dairy farms, sheep and beef farms, several vineyards and a golf club.
According to Duncan Scotland, Sales and Marketing Manager for Agrecovery, the incentive was a timely reminder for many to start their involvement with Agrecovery.
“This is the second year we have run this promotion and both years we have seen a strong increase in the number of new Agrecovery members.
“Over the quarter that the promotion ran we also saw a 50 percent increase in the number of visitors to the Agrecovery website compared with the previous quarter, with most of them checking out our container programme and the location of their nearest collection site,” says Duncan.
Due to drought conditions during the promotion period, which contributed to lower levels of chemical usage in most areas, the volume of container plastics delivered for recycling remained stable for the Jan-March quarter. Despite this, the year to date numbers from July 2012 to April 2013 have seen a lot more farmers and growers recycling their waste plastics, with volumes up a strong 17 percent overall compared with the same period a year ago.
“We continue to see the volume of plastic recycled through Agrecovery grow as more farmers and growers choose sustainable options for disposal over traditional burning and burying,” says Duncan.
“This growth is expected to continue under the combination of changing attitudes to the disposal of plastics and increasing scrutiny of New Zealand’s clean green image by our export markets.
“We’d encourage farmers and growers to check out our website or give us a call on 0800 AGRECOVERY to find out how easy it is to use the programme,” says Duncan.
Agrecovery also offers recycling programmes for silage plastics and other films, crop protection net, as well as recovery programmes for large drums and unwanted chemicals.
The winners
Below is a list of the 10 farmers and growers for whom recycling literally paid off. Congratulations!
1. Todd Blackman, Apollo Pac Ltd – Hastings collection site (Skeltons)
2. Reg White, Grassmere Orchards – Hastings collection site (Skeltons)
3. Fairview Golf Club – Katikati collection site
4. Peter Risi, Tui Glen Farms – Hautapu collection site
5. Tim Egan, Kaiaponi Farms Limited – Gisborne collection site
6. Maramar Vineyard – Blenheim collection site
7. Tim Dwyer, Konrad Wines Ltd – Blenheim collection site (Elders)
8. Gavin Williams, Williams Partnership – Richmond collection site
9. McLeans Orchard – Motueka collection site
10. Jamie Kerr – Balclutha collection site