Announcing Drums-to-Drums: Evolution of drumMUSTER sets a new standard in plastic recycling
Ben Andrews (Pact Group), Sanjay Dayal (Pact), Senator Raff Ciccone, Matthew Cossey (CropLife Australia), Ruffy Geminder (Pact), Alicia Garden (Agsafe)
31 July 2024 (Victoria) – Nearly one million plastic agricultural chemical containers could now be recycled directly back into new agricultural chemical containers each year, under a new drumMUSTER® initiative unveiled in Victoria today. Drums-to-Drums is an Australian-first in the sustainable management of agricultural chemical packaging and is the result of a partnership between CropLife, its not-for-profit stewardship subsidiary, Agsafe, and leading plastic recycler and packaging manufacturer, PactGroup. This initiative is further to the millions of pesticide containers already being generally recycled by drumMUSTER®.
“Plastic packaging plays an essential role in Australia’s agricultural industry by protecting seed, agricultural chemicals and pelletised pesticide for their safe transport, storage and use,” said Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia the national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, Matthew Cossey.
“The plant science industry takes whole-of-life stewardship of its products very seriously, investing heavily in genuine initiatives that ensure we’re responsibly managing products at each stage of its lifecycle.
“Drums-to-Drums is an Australian-first and a major step in the evolution of the successful drumMUSTER® program started by CropLife and our members more than 25 years ago. The program has diverted over 42 million drums from landfill and recycled them here in Australia into new products since 1999. Through our existing investment in Agsafe and new partnership with Pact Group, CropLife and its members will be able to take the program even further and support Australia’s transition towards a circular economy,” said Mr Cossey.
“Growers can support Drums-to-Drums by continuing their existing participation in drumMUSTER®, which involves ensuring their chemical drums are taken to any of the 830 collection points across Australia. There really is no excuse for storing or disposing of chemical drums on-farm or in any other environmentally unfriendly manner,” said Agsafe General Manager, Alicia Garden.
Technical challenges in the past have meant that collected drumMUSTER® containers could only be recycled into plastic pellets to make other products, such as park benches and construction materials. Using new technology, Pact has now developed an agricultural chemical drum that can be manufactured using up to 30 per cent recycled plastic.
Pact is aiming to collect, recycle and remake nearly a million plastic agricultural chemical drums each year using material derived from drumMUSTER®, creating a circular solution for plastic agrichem and agrivet containers.
“Pact is committed to creating a strong local circular economy that diverts plastic waste materials from landfill, recycles it and then remakes it into new products,” said Pact General Manager, Industrial Manufacturing, Ben Andrews.
“The Drums-to-Drums initiative demonstrates that industry-led initiatives are often best placed to develop effective solutions for industry-specific needs,” said Mr Andrews.
“drumMUSTER® is a clear example of CropLife and its members leading the way in the responsible management of the plant science industry’s products. Drums-to-Drums is yet another demonstration of this,” said Mr Cossey.
“Agsafe’s drumMUSTER® program is part of CropLife’s StewardshipFirst® initiative, a suite of world-leading resources and programs supporting Australian farmers, growers and the broader agricultural sector uphold its world-class sustainability credentials.
Mr Cossey concluded, “Today’s announcement is another example of how a combined commitment to a circular economy, a long-standing pedigree in national collection infrastructure and advanced recycling technology can fast track tailored sustainable solutions for agriculture.”
- ENDS