CleanFARMS receives gold at the 2013 RCO Waste Minimization Awards

TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Canada's leading agricultural stewardship organization, CleanFARMS, has been awarded a gold program operator award at the annual Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO) Waste Minimization Awards.

This award recognizes outstanding performance from waste diversion program operators, recyclers and processors involved in residential or Industrial, Commercial & Institutional (IC & I) collection and/or processing.

"We are honoured to be recognized by our recycling peers in Ontario," says Barry Friesen, general manager of CleanFARMS. "Good stewardship only happens when the entire value chain is engaged, so we share this recognition with Ontario's farmers and the many other groups who support our efforts."

This isn't the first time the plant science industry received top marks for its stewardship initiatives. Earlier this year, CleanFARMS was awarded the 2012 Ontario Minister's Award for Environmental Excellence.

"Environmental sustainability, which includes waste diversion, is a top priority for Ontario farmers," says Mark Wales, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. "It is especially nice to see that our efforts are being recognized by those outside of the farming community."

Waste diversion is a longstanding industry commitment for Ontario's agricultural sector. The empty pesticide container program, now one of Canada's longest running voluntary stewardship programs, was launched in 1989. The industry's commitment to end of life management of its products grew with the creation of the obsolete pesticide collection program and empty pesticide bag program in 1998 and 2006 respectively.

In recent years, CleanFARMS has broadened its focus by piloting collection programs for plastic pots, trays, and seed and pesticide bags.

For more information on CleanFARMS' work in Ontario, please visit www.cleanfarms.ca.

SOURCE: CleanFARMS Inc.

Francine Charbonneau
[phone] ext. 3223
[email protected]