Agsafe

The people behind Australia’s foremost product stewardship schemes drumMUSTER and ChemClear^® are delighted to help celebrate World Environment Day on 5^th June with ever more successful rural chemical and drum collection programs.

A recent mobile drumMUSTER recycling operation in Cowra NSW. High density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic containers are baled in preparation for recycling the product.

The schemes are non-profit, non-government and form the major thrust of the Industry Waste Reduction Scheme (IWRS) which is a national environmental initiative undertaken by the National Farmers Federation (NFF), Croplife Australia Ltd, Animal Health Alliance (Aust.) Ltd, Veterinary Manufacturers and Distributors Association (VMDA) and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).

They operate through Agsafe Ltd which is funded by product levies on agvet chemical sold, so they are self-funding.

The drumMUSTER program now boasts over 11 million drums recovered for recycling which equates to 15,445 tonne of quality metal and high density plastic being diverted from landfill sites. In terms of environmental savings measurement, this equals 6,155 Metric Tonnes of Carbon Equivalent (MTCE).

It is a little difficult to imagine numbers like this. Picture this: Fifty-six A380 Airbuses lined up along a runway. drumMUSTER has already recycled the equivalent amount of material used to build this number of these massive airplanes.

The drumMUSTER scheme now means that old practices like burning or burying empty chemical containers no longer have a place in Australian agriculture.

The ChemClear^® program was established in 2003 and provides a chemical collection and disposal service for users of agvet chemicals at the end of their life cycle or when they become surplus and unwanted.

Registering chemicals for return is of utmost importance in the ChemClear program because of possible safety and health issues when dealing with potentially hazardous chemicals.

ChemClear has collected in excess of 112 tonne nationally. At the present moment the ChemClear people are lining up for a massive NSW collection, already with an unprecedented 32 tonne of unwanted chemicals having been registered for collection across the state.

These programs aim to encourage good farm management practices so that quality assurance standards can be met, and cleaner safer land use practices will be inherited for the generations to come.

World Environment Day (WED) this year will be held in Wellington New Zealand. It is held every 5^th of June in more than 100 countries and was established by the United Nations in 1972 to stimulate worldwide awareness of environmental issues.

So it’s “Hip hooray for World Environment Day” from the drumMUSTER and ChemClear^® teams!