Australia’s longest running agricultural waste management program has today reached another milestone, with the collection of its 34-millionth chemical container. This equates to over 38,000 tonnes of waste that would otherwise have been sent to landfill or have been burnt or buried on farms.
Agsafe’s drumMUSTER program, which held it’s first collection in 1999 at Gunnedah, is an end-of-life product stewardship program that has already saved councils an impressive $33 million in landfill costs, by diverting eligible, empty containers to recycling schemes.
Agsafe’s General Manager Dominique Doyle says drumMUSTER was one of the first product stewardship programs established in Australia. “It is now internationally recognised as a leading example of how the agricultural industry and individual farmers and communities can work together to provide a recycling pathway for agvet containers”.
It’s only by collaborative efforts that Australia’s oldest product stewardship program continues its success, with 810 collection sites operated by 350 councils and over 110 other community-based collection agencies nationwide.
“As a voluntary program, the drumMUSTER product stewardship program has adapted to fit the needs of councils, farmers, retailers and manufacturers of the chemicals. We have a flexible approach to collections, this includes engaging with over 110 community organisations to not only maximise collections, but also provide great fund-raising opportunities.” Ms Doyle says.