“We put a great deal of effort and expense into reclaiming and recycling as many of our plastic product containers as possible,” says Syngenta North America Commercial Health, Safety and Environmental Services (HSES) Business Partner Scott Birchfield.

“Our container stewardship program is the industry leader, because we operate with zero barriers for distributors or end users. That means there is no cost to recycle, no requirement to collect a certain volume of containers and recycling is available all year long."

For more than 20 years, Syngenta has been involved with the Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC), sitting on its board of directors. The nonprofit ACRC allows thousands of agricultural professionals nationwide to participate in free recycling programs for containers up to five gallons. “We estimate that we collect and recycle as many as 1.4 million pounds of used pesticide plastics through ACRC each year,” Scott says.

Syngenta is also a member of The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance (TPSA), a collaborative partnership of government agencies, educational and research institutions, public organizations, private corporations and individuals actively involved in stewarding the pesticide life cycle.

The container stewardship process for larger containers includes pick-up and transportation to recycling partner Tri-Rinse, which washes the plastic and re-uses it in applications that restrict exposure to people, feed or food products. Some uses for the recycled materials include drain tiles, perforated pipes for irrigation, downspouts and underground electrical conduits. In 2014, this process recycled 1.2 million pounds of used pesticide plastic.

“We want to be absolutely certain that any residue in or on the plastic is managed appropriately,” Scott says. “Putting containers in landfills, creates the possibility of leaching into groundwater. We want to be good stewards of our products throughout their life cycle, including the management of their post-use in a responsible manner.

“The important take-away for colleagues is to understand there is a lot of work Syngenta is doing in the background around the stewardship of our products,” Scott says.

To learn how to participate in an ACRC free recycling program, visit http://www.acrecycle.org/Where_and_How_to_Recycle

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