As growers finish this latest bountiful harvest, they can take a well-earned breather before thinking about clearing the decks in preparation for the next growing season.

Tim Herman, BASF’s Technical Services Specialist, suggests a good place to start is to deal with any empty, triple-rinsed agrichemical containers that may have accumulated in your shed or yard. 

“The Agrecovery scheme has been running for more than 16 years and is well supported by growers, retailers and the agrichemical manufacturers,” says Tim. “More than 4,300 tonnes of plastic have already been collected and recycled, and the scheme just keeps getting bigger, both in terms of the volume of plastic being processed and the variety of packaging it can handle.”

Three years ago, BASF and Yara New Zealand worked with Agrecovery to trial recycling LDPE plastic (number 4) bags, which fungicides like Kumulus® DF and Polyram® DF are supplied in. The trials were successful and LDPE plastic bags from BASF and Yara were added to the Agrecovery recycling scheme. Now other agrichemical, fertiliser and seed companies have joined in.

BASF, the largest chemical producer in the world, has set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2050. As long ago as 2018, BASF had already reduced its carbon emissions by more than 50 percent compared to 1990. By establishing a Circular Economy Programme, which increasingly uses recycled and renewable feedstocks to shape new material cycles and create new business models, BASF aims to process 250,000 tonnes of recycled and waste-based raw materials annually, replacing fossil-based raw materials by 2025.

Tim says: “Every New Zealand grower can play a part in this major environmental improvement simply by choosing products in recyclable containers, such as BASF’s groundbreaking yellow Ecopak containers, which use 20 percent less plastic and have recyclable caps, and continue to participate in the great work of Agrecovery. Look for the Agrecovery logo on our drums and bags!”

ACVM registration numbers: Kumulus® DF #P003493, Polyram® DF #P002062. Read the registered label before use.