Cleanfarms marked it's 10th anniversary in 2020 as farmers continue to focus on recycling.

Over the years the organization has gone from operating two recycling programs to collect empty pesticide and obsolete pesticide jugs, to operating five permanent programs.

In addition, they have been operating pilot programs in Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta to point the way to recover more ag plastic waste for products like used twine, grain bags and silage wrap.

For 2020 they are optimistic that farmers may have set a new record for returning small pesticide and fertilizer containers for recycling.

Final results will be calculated in the new year but stats show that in 2019, farmers brought back nearly 5.5 million containers

Executive Director Barry Friesen notes grain bag recycling across the Prairies also had a stellar year.

Cleanfarms runs the grain bag recycling program in Saskatchewan.

In 2019, Saskatchewan farmers recycled 2,256 tonnes of used plastic grain bags, a 44 per cent increase in volume over 2018. So far in 2020, SK farmers have recycled just over 2,700 tonnes, a 20% increase over last year.