On The Land
15 April, 2023
Big results for bag recovery
LEADING agribusiness Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (IPF) has now recovered three million kilograms of its own plastic bags since 2015 through the Australian Government Accredited Product Stewardship scheme, Big Bag Recovery.
Big Bag Recovery collects plastic sacks and bulk bags used for products over 15kg or 15 litres, like fertiliser, seeds, animal feeds, flour, salt, sugar, milk powders, sand, gravel, mulch, cement and more.
IPF CEO Christine Corbett said the initiative supported the commitment of both IPF and parent company, Incitec Pivot Limited (IPL), to achieve net zero operational emissions by 2050, or as soon as practicable.
“Our products and services are vital to providing food for the world’s growing population. Increasingly, too, it is essential we assume a leadership role in the world’s transition to a low-carbon economy, and we are embracing the opportunity,” she said.
“To partner with the Big Bag Recovery program and reach the milestone of recovering three million kilograms of plastic bags, demonstrates our focus on reducing the emissions profile of our business and the wider agriculture industry.”
Through the Big Bag Recovery program, IPL has saved $7.3 million in landfill space by recovering the plastic bags for recycling.
“Our fertiliser bags are collected from farms or dropped off by farmers to local council depots or dealers, and instead of being burned or ending up in landfill they are recycled into new products” Ms Corbett said.
IPL has also recently extended the bag recovery program to ammonium nitrate bulk bags in its explosives business, Dyno Nobel.
Big Bag Recovery managing director Stephen Richards commended IPF for its leadership.
“The recovery results are fantastic, and we want to encourage others to be as involved as IPF,” he said.
“Around 60,000 tonnes of bag packaging are consumed in Australia each year. This plastic is a resource that can be recycled up to 40 times to create new products.
“For example, a fertiliser bulk bag can be turned into a school seat in about an hour which can similarly be reharvested and processed into something else.”
Initiated in Queensland with fertiliser bags for the sugar industry in 2015, Big Bag Recovery is now Australia wide for all industries and sectors plastic bags over 15 kg/l of contents.
Dealers and customers who purchase products in big plastic sacks and bulk bags can call Big Bag Recovery on 1300 424 422 to find out the best way to deliver their waste bags to the program.
