The federal government’s plan to halt Canada’s consumption of single-use plastics such as shopping bags, straws and stir sticks over the next couple of years won’t extend to farm chemical containers and grain bags. Cleanfarms, the national industry stewardship body operating waste management and recycling programs for agricultural packaging, said Thursday that plastic products such […] Read more
Agricultural plastics not part of federal ban
Cleanfarms raises the bar on recycling of ag containers
The stewardship organization wants to recycle 100 per cent of agricultural plastic jugs this year
Reading Time: 2 minutes In the three decades since Cleanfarms began collecting agricultural plastic containers, about 126 million plastic jugs have been recycled into new products instead of being disposed in landfills. The voluntary stewardship program in Prairie communities currently recovers about 65 per cent of the smaller plastic containers (23 litres or smaller) that are placed on the […] Read more
When it comes to food waste, the system is broken
An astonishing amount of food spoils or is thrown out — it’s time to take action
Reading Time: 3 minutes Between my home and the Victoria airport is a big sign urging “Let’s reduce food waste.” If you are reading this column from your farm table, you may already be an expert at the preservation of food and the use of leftovers. Typically, we eat all we grow on the farm. In the store however, […] Read more
McDonald’s sets greenhouse gas reduction targets
Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. on Tuesday announced what it describes as an approved, science-based target to cut greenhouse gas emissions and battle climate change, saying it is the first restaurant company to do so. Under a plan several years in the making, the fast-food company — along with its franchisees and suppliers — aims to […] Read more
Feeding the planet is challenging, dealing with its waste is even harder
Earth is becoming an urban planet and that raises a host of issues we’ve never had to deal with before
Reading Time: 3 minutes The migration of rural persons to cities hit a historical milestone in 2008 when urban residents outnumbered those in rural areas. The result has been congestion in cities that were ill prepared for this growth and an intense pressure on rural areas to produce more food with less people. The United Nations claims six out […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
