Chemical recovery events planned for Canterbury farmers and growers
Canterbury farmers and growers are being urged to make use of a subsidised programme to return their unwanted or expired agrichemicals.
Agrecovery will be running several chemical recovery events in the Canterbury region throughout June 2022. With free or subsidised recovery and disposal of more than 3000 products, the programme provides the perfect opportunity to safely dispose of potentially dangerous chemicals.
Agrecovery Chief Executive Tony Wilson says, “the agrichemical recovery programme is a crucial part of the work Agrecovery does to ensure the safety of the environment and the future of the agriculture and horticulture industries.”
“These are chemicals that could pose a safety risk by being left in sheds,” says Wilson. “Recovering old legacy or unwanted chemicals ensures they don’t end up in landfills or in our waterways. We want to see farmers and growers book safe disposal to alleviate any potential safety risk.”
These collections events follow on from extremely successful events held in Canterbury in 2020 where nearly 6,000 kg of agrichemicals were recovered and safely disposed of. Environment Canterbury (ECan) is again partnering with Agrecovery to support the programme, alongside Ashburton, Hurunui, MacKenzie, Selwyn, Timaru, Waimakariri, Waimate and Waitaki District Councils.
“As a not-for-profit charitable trust, Agrecovery fully appreciates the commitment and support from ECan, the local district councils, and the brands who are part of the Agrecovery scheme, in order to run these events,” says Wilson. “It’s fantastic to be able to work in partnership to provide a safe and sustainable solution to resource recovery and enable better environmental outcomes for our rural communities.”
Environment Canterbury Director of Science Dr Tim Davie, says waste disposal can be particularly challenging for rural communities who want to do the right thing, but perhaps don’t have the level of services that those in urban areas enjoy.
“Our partnership with Agrecovery has been built on that philosophy – that we understand those challenges. These recovery events are a perfect example of some of the solutions being provided.”
Bookings for the June 2022 Canterbury events are essential. Bookings close on Friday 27th May 2022.
Location details for collection events will be provided closer to the time.
Farmers, growers, and contractors can find out more about Agrecovery's unwanted and expired chemical disposal programme, including how to register for a collection event. You can also call 0800 247 326 for more information.
About Agrecovery
Agrecovery is a not-for-profit charitable trust established to recover agrichemicals and their containers from New Zealand’s primary sector through a voluntary product stewardship scheme accredited by the Ministry for the Environment.
Agrecovery has been in operation for over 15 years and in that time have recycled 3.5 million kilograms of containers and recovered over 165 thousand kilograms of chemicals. They have an extensive network of over 160 sites across New Zealand and 100 plus brands are signed up to the scheme.
Agrecovery uses qualified chemical contractors to collect and dispose of chemicals – in accordance with New Zealand regulations. Depending on the class of chemical, they are disposed of in New Zealand or France – in special high-temperature incineration plants.