PDC Barn in Taumarunui, Fruitfed Supplies in Ohakune and Farmlands in Taupo are three companies locally supporting the push for sustainability and environmental best practice in our primary industries.
All three companies are now collection sites in the Central North Island for the Agrecovery Container Recycling programme.
The programme allows farmers and growers across the country to recycle empty 1 – 60 litre plastic containers. Eligible containers from the 55 agrichemical, biological, animal health and dairy hygiene companies who support this product stewardship programme can be recycled for free.
Ohakune, Taumarunui and Taupo are just three of the seventy collection sites located across the country.
George Thomas of PDC Barn said the company was keen to be part of the Agrecovery Container programme, offering another service to farmers and growers in the area and helping them to get rid of their empty containers.
“So far people bringing in their containers seem to be pretty pleased with the longer opening hours we offer.
“We’re open five days a week, whereas the previous site was only open once a week. Now they can just throw the containers on the back of the ute whenever they’re coming into town or into the store,” says George.
Nationwide the container recycling programme has seen a 49% increase in the volume of plastic collected between July 2010 to June 2011, as compared to the same period in the previous year. This reflects a record 121,150 kg of container plastic sent for processing here in New Zealand.
This growth in recycling volumes reflects the increasing pressure being brought to bear on New Zealand exporters to prove that agricultural and horticultural practices truly are “clean and green”.
Agrecovery’s award winning online service, Smart Member Services, allows growers and farmers to download fully auditable reports of their recycling activity or to request these via a freephone number.
With Agrecovery certified to ISO 14001 Environmental Standard and accredited as a product stewardship programme by the Minister for the Environment under the Waste Minimisation Act, these recycling reports carry real weight with quality assurance programmes. They can also simplify the audit process for both the farmer and the auditor.
Chairman of Beef and Lamb NZ, Mike Petersen, said New Zealand sheep and beef farmers recognise environmental sustainability is critical.
“However there is a balance that must be found so that the sector remains economically viable,” he says.
“Manufacturers that contribute to Agrecovery make recycling easy and economical for farmers.”
Fifty-five companies now support the Container recycling programme making it free for farmers and growers to responsibly dispose of their containers; representing true product stewardship and an important part of proving our “clean green” credentials.
Collection Site Details
- Ohakune – Fruitfed Supplies, 9 Burns St – Monday to Friday 8am – 12pm
- Taumarunui – PDC Barn, 131 Hakiaha St – Monday to Friday 7:30am – 5pm
- Taupo – Farmlands, 101 Tauhara Rd – Monday to Friday 8am – 5pm, Saturday 9am – 12pm
View all Agrecovery Container collection sites here