‘Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It!’ Pilot Program Continues and Expands with Renewed Funding from the Government of Alberta

The Government of Alberta has renewed its funding and approved a two-year extension for the Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It! pilot program. Launched in 2019, the program provides Alberta farmers with sustainable, practical solutions to manage used plastic baler twine and grain bags. 

Starting in 2026, collection programs for compacted silage plastic and bale wrap will be available in select regions of Alberta as part of the expansion of the ‘Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle It!’ pilot project.

Developed by the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group (APRG)—a coalition of recyclers, commodity groups, farmers, municipalities, and non-profits—the pilot is operated by Cleanfarms in partnership with APRG. Together, these organizations share a commitment to advancing responsible agricultural plastics management across the province.

In addition to building on established operations, the funding will support the expansion of the program to include a project aimed at collecting used silage plastic and bale wrap in targeted regions of the province.

The program is a valued service in Alberta’s agricultural community. To date, farmers have returned more than 4.9 million kg of agricultural plastic to collection sites for recycling. That’s equal to approximately 260 semi-trailers full of grain bags and 38 semi-trailers full of twine–or enough twine to wrap 1.8 million large square hay bales.

“Alberta Agriculture’s ongoing support of the pilot has allowed farmers to adopt more sustainable practices for plastic waste, while also helping to determine what an effective permanent program may look like,” says Assar Grinde, Chair of APRG. “The pilot has had great success with grain bags, and we are excited to build on the huge growth in twine collection volumes over the past year.”

The renewed funding will be used to launch the second edition of the Great Twine Round-Up; a collection contest that encourages Albertans of all ages to collect used baler twine for recycling with cash prizes awarded to local charities and 4-H clubs. In the first year of the contest, participants brought in an estimated 16,500 kg of used plastic baler twine for recycling.

It’s estimated that up to 3,350 tonnes of bale wrap and silage plastic are used by cow-calf operations, cattle feeders, and dairy farms in Alberta each year, and their inclusion will contribute to the long-term success of the province-wide recycling program. The insights gained from this endeavour will directly inform the design of a future collection system across Alberta for bale wrap and silage plastic.

“We’re proud to be working with the APRG, the Government of Alberta, Alberta Beef Producers, and all of Alberta’s hard-working ranchers and producers to continue evolving this program,” said Shane Hedderson, Cleanfarms Director of Western Canada. “As is the goal of all Cleanfarms programs, we aim to support farmers and contribute to the emerging circular economy in Alberta agriculture through this project.”