Everything you need to know about recycling farm chemicals
Farm Chemicals includes:
Farm Chemicals - Antibiotics
Fertilisers
Fungicides
Herbicides
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How to recycle farm chemicals
ChemClear is Australia’s only Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program operating for AgVet chemicals and is an initiative of the Industry Waste Reduction Scheme (IWRS). Its aim is to safely dispose of unwanted AgVet chemicals.
ChemClear is an industry-run product stewardship scheme that provides a safe collection and disposal service nationally for unwanted agricultural and veterinary chemicals. Registered chemicals that are produced by manufacturers who are part of the ChemClear scheme are collected free of charge.
Other chemicals, including chemicals that are de-registered, out-of-date, mixed, unlabelled, unknown, or produced by a manufacturer not contributing to the stewardship program, can also be collected for a fee.
Chemical drums
drumMUSTER provides Australian agricultural and veterinary chemical users with a recycling pathway for eligible empty chemical containers. There are over 825 drumMUSTER collection sites across Australia. This is a free drop-off service and containers must carry the drumMUSTER logo to be eligible. The program will not accept petroleum or liquid chlorine containers that are used for non-agricultural purposes, or intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) for reconditioning.
Why recycle?
Common farm chemicals include pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, antibiotics and fertilisers. Many of these are hazardous to human health as well as the environment. Improper disposal of such chemicals can lead to accidental poisoning, contamination of our ecosystems including our waterways, aquifers and soils and possible chemical resistance in pests or diseases.
What happens to them?
Chemicals collected through ChemClear are disposed of responsibly. Chemical drums are sent to recycling plants where the containers are sorted, shredded, granulated and heat extruded. The extruded materials are manufactured into a variety of products such as recycled containers, wheelie bins, irrigation pipes, bollards, road signs and reflectors.
Other hazardous waste
The following items are classified as hazardous waste and must be recycled or disposed of responsibly.
Asbestos
Asbestos is a building material that becomes hazardous and toxic when it is disturbed or moved. It must be disposed of safely and responsibly to reduce risk to human health.
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Batteries
Batteries contain both hazardous and valuable materials. Commercial recyclers can recover approximately 97% of the materials so they can be used again.
Paint
Paint contains chemicals such as solvents and metals that can contaminate our groundwater and have negative effects on human health. A number of commercial recyclers offer paint and solvent recycling and services across a wide variety of industries.
