Key Takeaways
- Cleanfarms and Aduro Clean Technologies signed an MOU to evaluate Aduro’s Hydrochemolytic™ Technology (HCT) for recycling on-farm plastic waste.
- The collaboration targets difficult-to-recycle agricultural plastics such as bale wrap, silage film, and grain bags.
- Canada’s agricultural sector generates ~62,000 tonnes of plastic annually, much of which remains unrecycled.
- The multi-phase partnership aims to assess technical feasibility, scale-up potential, and commercial integration.
- If successful, Cleanfarms could help inform national deployment strategies leveraging its 2,000+ collection site network.
Driving Circularity in Agriculture with Cleanfarms
Cleanfarms Inc., a Canadian Producer Responsibility Organization known in Quebec as AgriRÉCUP, is collaborating with Aduro Clean Technologies to assess the potential of chemical recycling in the agricultural sector. The MOU outlines a three-phase collaboration to test Aduro’s HCT on real-world plastic waste collected from farms across Canada.
“Agricultural plastics present unique challenges due to high contamination and limited end-of-life options,” said Barry Friesen, Executive Director at Cleanfarms. “Our members are actively seeking scalable recycling solutions, and this partnership is an important step toward a more complete circular economy for Canadian agriculture.”
Phased Evaluation of HCT on Agricultural Waste
Phase A: Laboratory-Scale Feasibility Trials
Aduro will process representative samples provided by Cleanfarms—including mixed silage film, bale wrap, netting, and twine—under laboratory conditions. Tests will evaluate contaminant tolerance, conversion efficiency, and product composition using unprocessed, field-grade waste to simulate real-world scenarios.
Phase B: Pilot Plant Scale-Up and Modeling
Field-grade plastics will then be tested in Aduro’s Next Generation Pilot plant under continuous flow. The study will explore preprocessing requirements and include preliminary techno-economic and eco-efficiency modeling based on performance metrics and market viability of outputs.
Phase C: Demonstration Plant Integration (Non-Binding)
If prior phases are successful, Cleanfarms-sourced feedstocks may be integrated into Aduro’s future Demonstration Plant. This stage would validate commercial-scale processing and leverage Cleanfarms’ logistical expertise for nationwide collection and deployment planning.
Strategic Significance of the Collaboration Between Cleanfarms & Aduro
This initiative is particularly timely given Canada’s 62,000 tonnes of agricultural plastic waste annually, with much currently landfilled or burned. Cleanfarms operates within Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks in multiple provinces and reported an 87% recovery rate for pesticide and fertilizer containers in 2023.
“Cleanfarms brings invaluable knowledge and infrastructure to help us evaluate the full potential of HCT,” said Ofer Vicus, CEO of Aduro. “Our goal is to unlock new value streams for agricultural plastics that are currently overlooked by conventional recycling methods.”
Cleanfarms & Aduro: Enabling Innovation in Agricultural Waste Management
By combining Cleanfarms’ national footprint and industry knowledge with Aduro’s chemical recycling technology, the partnership aims to identify viable, scalable pathways for diverting plastic waste from landfills and repurposing it into valuable hydrocarbons. This could significantly advance sustainability in farming and support Canada’s broader goals in the circular economy.
