Cleanfarms: Exploring the world of farming and agriculture

I grew up in multiple metropolitan cities: I remember some of my early childhood years in Beijing. I recall seeing so many buildings and people around me all the time. When I settled in Toronto, I never felt that I left Beijing.

As a child, I became familiarized with the urban lifestyle. The subway and busses soon became my best friend. But I wondered: “What is it like to live in or grow up in a small town, or a farm?”

Teachers rarely talked about small towns in geography class, and the media rarely covered news about farms. This made me wonder: “What is it actually like to be a farmer or to own a farm?”

Fast forward to September 2024, when I started my new co-op position at Cleanfarms. Immediately, I was given the opportunity to interact with companies and individuals who are emersed in agriculture, whether they are farmers, ag retailers, Cleanfarms members or the many logistic partners who help move plastics/packaging out of farms and collection sites and into end markets.

I was surprised by the distinctiveness of the work that I’m involved in. Every stakeholder has a major role to play throughout the entire process.

Farmers are multitalented and multifaceted professionals: On a day to day basis they juggle taking care of animals and plants, mother nature, liaising with suppliers, equipment challenges and keeping their yards clean by responsibly managing agricultural plastics and products after use amongst other stewardship initiatives.

Ag-retailers are a key source of information for farmers and, in many cases, are an extension of groups such as Cleanfarms. We count on them to provide growers a convenient drop off location for recycling and material counts to make sure our logistics partners can operate efficiently.

All of our partners are, essentially, a community. Farmers take care to properly rinse containers and prepare materials to ensure they can be recycled or safely disposed of effectively. Many ag retailers operate Cleanfarms’ collection sites for multiple programs, including the Unwanted Pesticides and Old Livestock/Equine Medications program (UPLM) which rotates provinces every year in addition to the ongoing collection programs for bags, containers, and other important ag plastics. Thanks to this collaboration, the collection process is very streamlined and efficient.

Seeing this type of community inspires me to provide a helping hand to others daily. My job involves making sure data is accurate for bills of lading and ensuring our logistics partners have accurate counts. My role is targeted, but it keeps everything moving.

Oftentimes, when you grow up in a big city, you’re told to fend for yourself, especially when there are so many people around you. But after working at Cleanfarms, I learned the importance of looking out for others, and creating a tight-knit community, just like how farmers and ag-retailers do.