Argentina recycled 4,000 tons of empty agrochemical containers in 2013

More than 4,000 tons of empty agrochemical containers were recycled during the last agricultural campaign in Argentina, while Argentina ranks fourth, after the United States, France and Brazil, with 40% of these hazardous containers collected where from Argentine fields. 

This was said to Argentina news by Juan Cruz Jaime, the executive director of the Chamber of Agricultural Health and Fertilizers (CASAFE) which has among its objectives, the program “Good Agricultural Practices.”

"In the country 4,025 tons of agrochemical containers were destined to be recycled. This is 41% of the total number of plastic that the industry put on the market," said the Executive.

He explained that Argentina is ranked fourth with the collection of 40% of the packaging of agrochemicals while Brazil collects 95%.

However, he pointed out that “from 2009 onwards, Argentina passed from recycling 500 tons to currently recycling 4,000 tons and will continue to grow".

So far, the agricultural producer makes triple washing and drilling to avoid the reuse of packaging, bound by provincial authorities in Córdoba, Mendoza and the Alto Valle de Río Negro.

In the province of Buenos Aires we are working to "implement the system" he said. Mountains of containers and old water storage tanks can still be seen with the toxic risk that they represent.

After drilling, the producer takes them to a municipal collection center "once there an enabled recycler collects them for conversion into either sticks for fences, street cones or donkey pack saddles, and thus returns to the system", explains Jaime.

The difficulties that the system is facing, involves obtaining the necessary municipal and provincial provisions so that the circuit is complete and "not all provinces have it," he said.
"In the province of Buenos Aires, we need a resolution allowing producers to take their containers from their farms to the collection center which is why we are talking with the OPDS which is the Sustainable Development Agency in Buenos Aires” he explained.

Warehouses are funded by CASAFE and there are recyclers across the country, so it is not a problem to implement the system.

The containers have been accumulated after successive agricultural campaigns where the use of fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides are considered as hazardous waste according to the law 24051.

"In a few years, we are aspiring to reach up to 100% of collection and recycling," said the Executive Director of CASAFE.

Mendoza recycled 15,300 kilos of empty agrochemical containers during 2013. This is more than 15 tons, through the Agrolimpio program, which develops ISCAMEN, Institute of Public Health and Plant Quality in Mendoza since 2004.

The activity is aimed at reducing the risks of pollution that these products can cause to human health and to the environment as most of the containers are of one liter capacity with a weigh of 100 grams approximately.

The program has a social edge since 20% of the final product, is intended by the plastic industry to the Fundación Conin and Pediatric Hospital Foundation Notti, a institution in Mendoza.

Meanwhile, the program management of agrochemicals in Brazil, processes more than 40,000 tons a year and is supported  by a national law and with jurisdiction in the country, the National Institute for Processing Empty (Containers Inpev)  an entity funded by the companies of agrochemicals and the Government responsible for coordinating logistics and recycling of empty agrochemical containers.