To dodge landfills, Oxford County pilot project sends tonnes of plastic farm waste for recycling

Less than a year after being launched, an agricultural recycling program in Oxford County has already diverted about eight tonnes of plastic farm waste from landfills, the township said. 

And farmers are continuing to sign up to participate in the Agricultural Plastics Diversion Pilot Program, which the county introduced last June.  

The initiative was a response to data that found farmers in the county generated about 300 tonnes of plastic litter every year, but the county didn't have an environmentally friendly way to dispose of it.

"Either the material was thrown in the garbage and ended up in the landfill or we suspect some farmers (were) maybe just burning it in burn piles,"  said Frank Gross, manager of transportation and waste management at Oxford County.

The program allows local farmers to dispose of plastic products, including fertilizer bags, salt bags and bale wraps. Farmers have to pay a small fee to recycle their plastics, depending on weight.

Within six months of the pilot project being launched, Oxford County was able to divert nearly five tonnes of plastic waste, Gross said. In 2024, farmers using the program have diverted an additional two and a half tonnes. 

Administrators say the early results are a good start, but they hope to get a lot more people on board.  

"We recently promoted the program again to remind farmers of the program so we're hoping to get some additional uptake."

Kris Fraser, owner and operator of Fraser Grove dairy farm in Oxford County, decided to join the agricultural pilot program in fall of last year.

"We have a lot of plastic waste on the farm for feed storage and stuff," said Fraser. "All the waste from our bunkers to plastic – we'd usually throw it in our dumpster and that ends up in the landfill."

Fraser bags leftover twine and plastic wrap that's used for bale, grass and other waste, then stockpiles those bags for three months before bringing them to the depot.

"I just have a little shed that I take [the waste] into and let it dry out," Fraser said. "Then basically I just shove it in a recycling bag…until it's full and then just wrap it up."

So far, Oxford County Waste Management Facility is the only drop-off location for plastic waste from farms. 

But if enough farmers start participating, the county will expand drop-off locations for convenience, Gross said.