Nicholas Donaldson
Local farmers received a talk on agriculture plastics disposal and regulations during the Rainy River Federation of Agriculture’s “Ag Day” on Saturday at the Emo Legion.
Cathy Debney, a senior environmental officer with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, gave the presentation on a very important topic in agriculture.
When approached about covering the topic of agriculture plastics, Debney admitted she initially didn’t know much but quickly realized that bale/silage wraps and pesticide containers are the two biggest issues.
“They are an issue just given our broad geography and low population, and there are no established depots for disposal at this time,” she noted.
For instance, Debney said she noticed a lot of wrapped bales sitting in fields on her way here from her office in Kenora.
“Bail/silage wraps are considered waste and, under the legislation, need to be disposed of at an approved landfill-not to be burned,” she stressed, saying the burning releases toxins into the natural environment and will get farmers in trouble with the ministry.
“Landfill, recycle when possible, and burning never,” she reiterated.
Debney also noted some fact sheets from OMAFRA mention burying it on-farm, which is not prohibited when the waste is buried on the same site it was generated on.
However, the MECC does not recommend it.
“Especially when you get plastic covered with a chemical, you bury it in the ground, it gets into the groundwater, and then you have a whole other whack of issues to deal with,” Debney warned.
Although taking the plastic to landfills is the preferred option for now, Debney listed some problems that go along with that, like the large size, tendency to catch the wind, and inability to compress down adequately.
“Plastics take up a lot of space in landfills, especially in this Fort Frances/Rainy River belt where we have a lot of very small municipal landfills that are very old and potentially running out of space,” she explained.
One potential solution down the road is encouraging “CleanFARMS,” a not-for-profit environmental stewardship organization, to come to this area and take a load of the plastic.
This could happen, said Debney, although the volume of waste has to be enough for it to make the trip.
“Depots need to be established to collect the plastic and then it needs to be baled so it can be put to market,” she noted.
“The preference is that if it is baled, then it is easier to get to market, and you need to generate roughly 10 tonnes before CleanFARMS can come and do a pick-up,” she added.
Debney said from what she understands, if enough waste is collected, CleanFARMS will look after the pickup and transportation to the recycling market.
Something she has been looking into is getting the marine sector involved because the bale/silage wrap is the same as boat wrap for the winter.
“There is kind of a disconnect between the two industries-it’s not very often that you have agriculture and the marine industry generating the same type of waste,” she conceded.
Debney said she has reached out to a business in Kenora that wraps and stores roughly 100 boats a year and would be interested in joining the program.
“CleanFARMS would have loved to be here to discuss this topic today, and hopefully they will be up in the spring to talk about some of the projects they are running,” she remarked.
On the topic of pesticide and other chemical containers, Debney cited the difficulty in disposal because of the area’s large geography and low population.
“The recommendation is to dispose of them at municipal hazardous waste programs and I believe the only ones locally are in Fort Frances and Kenora,” she noted.
“Both municipalities will accept small quantities of pesticides, just don’t show up with a large tanker full.”
Someone pointed out Fort Frances will take paint and other similar items, but in the past has been hesitant to take chemicals from residents outside of the town.
Debney said Kenora does a weekly hazardous waste collection program, and recommended people try to take their unused or expired chemicals there if they happen to be headed that way.
The normal protocol producers learn as they go through the pesticide licensing program is to triple-rinse empty containers and then either recycle or return to vendors where possible.
“Ag Day” also featured information booths, a mini-trade show, draws, district updates, and other speakers, including:
•Rob Rupert (OMAFRA Bee Inspector) on “Honey Bees and their Benefits”;
•Kelly McFayden and Jim Lockhart (BDO Canada) on “Tax Concerns and CRA Proposals”;
•Paul Brunetta (Brunetta Law Office) on “Wills, Succession, and Land Transfers”; and
•Maria Ramirez-Giraldo (Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association) on the “Species-at-Risk Farm Incentive Program.”
