As Quebec is working towards ending the practice of single-use plastics there are still some industries such as agriculture (although currently exempt) that rely on plastics to protect their feed. With nowhere to adequately recycle their plastics farmers in Pontiac raised the issue to the MRC.

“We have a lot of farmers who are very interested in the environment, so it was crazy to . . .

put [the plastic] in a bin to go in a landfill instead of trying to do something with it,” said Thierry Raimbault, environmental coordinator at the MRC Pontiac.

There were nearly 500 tonnes of plastic wrapping materials used each year in the Outaouais. In March 2021 the MRC Pontiac launched a pilot project for the recovery of agricultural plastics in the area. In collaboration with CREDDO (Regional Council for the environment and sustainable development of the Outaouais) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food were able to find a sustainable way to get rid of plastic waste and keep it out of landfills.

Over the span of three years, the project will introduce 15 more farms to a compactor and by the end hope to have 45 farms in the Pontiac using it and hope to collect 90 tonnes of plastic by the end said Raimbault. He said one of the major aspects is to change the linear economic model to a circular economic model meaning plastic gets a second life, rather than living a single-use life.

Raimbault, who is an adviser when it comes to issues around creating better environments and waste management, said one of the ways they can benefit from the plastic is to send it to Lachute to grind and turn into cement, plastic bricks used for sidewalks and much more.

One of the first people approached to be a part of the project is the owner of Clarendon’s Willow Hollow Farms run by father and son duo Rick and Ben Younge. Together they tend to more than 1,000 acres of land and they operate a cow-calf operation with a small feedlot.

“I believe that the environment is very important to agriculture. It’s very important to our entire nation, our entire world,” said Rick.

For Rick it is about finding better ways to be more eco-conscious while understanding that plastic is still a vital part of a farmer’s operations, “we need that plastic to preserve our feed,” said Rick.

In 2020 Rick got his first compactor which was built by fifth-generation farmer Lynn Leavitt, who is also building them for the other farmers. The wooden compactor is operated with a tractor and compacts about 550 pounds of plastic.

One of the sponsors includes Fonds du Grand Mouvement Desjardins, with a financial contribution of $ 113,000.

Another farmer, who is using a compactor is Kristine Beck who co-runs a dairy farm, Beck Family Farm with about 1800 acres and 145 cows. For her, this project means a lot because taking care of the land and animals is not just a business it’s her life, and she wants to be able to maintain and protect the land for the generations to come.

“Being stewards of the land, maybe it sounds cliche, but it is. Our livelihoods depend on it and it’s not just from the business standpoint, it’s personal too,” said Beck.

She hopes this project can grow and include different plastics and mentioned that a lot of farmers are working to minimize their carbon footprint and to continue to farm sustainably.

“I just think it’s a springboard to possibly a lot of great things,” said Beck.

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