Canadian firms partner for plastic dog food bag recycling project

Recycling company TerraCycle Canada is partnering with Canadian pet food company Open Farm to offer a free, innovative recycling program for post-use plastic dog food bags.

“In an industry first, consumers can now send their empty Open Farm pet food bags to TerraCycle, where they will be transformed into useful products ranging from plastic lumber to park benches to food and water bowls,” TerraCycle said in a statement. “At the same time, a donation will be made to the sender’s charity of choice for each and every bag that’s diverted from landfill through this program.”

The program works like this: Consumers purchase Open Farm pet food from any participating retailer and join the Open Farm Brigade online at terracycle.ca. Once they’ve amassed at least two pounds worth of empty Open Farm bags, they download and print a free shipping label from the TerraCycle website and call UPS for complimentary next-day pickup. The package is sent to a warehouse in Toronto, where it’s weighed, sorted and eventually recycled.

“We’re delighted that Open Farm has come on board as the first pet food brand to recycle their packaging waste with TerraCycle Canada,” says Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “This marks an important first step for a growing sector in which 95 per cent of pet food packaging is thrown in the garbage.”

Founded in 2001, Toronto-based TerraCycle is a leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste, specializing in difficult-to-recycle packaging.

Open Farm bag.