The bagMUSTER program is an initiative of CropLife Australia in partnership with the Australian Seed Federation.
bagMUSTER is Australia's first industry-led collection and recycling pathway for plastic agricultural input bags, like those farmers use for seed and pelletised pesticide.
"Today represents a significant step forward in addressing the critical issue of soft plastic waste for Australia's farming sector," said chief executive officer of CropLife Australia, Matthew Cossey.
"With our combined commitment to responsible stewardship of plastic agricultural input bags and support for achieving sustainable farming, bagMUSTER is specifically developed by industry for industry," he said.
"We've taken our time to get it right and Australian agriculture can trust that we know what we're doing. From over 25 years of experience in delivering drumMUSTER, CropLife, our members and our stewardship organisation Agsafe know how to ensure that bagMUSTER is a long-term viable solution for Australian ag.
"By providing farmers and growers with accessible collection points and ensuring bags are recycled and repurposed responsibly here in Australia by Australian processors, we're making further significant inroads towards a genuine circular economy for our products packaging and containers."
The partnership between CropLife and the Australian Seed Federation was established in November 2021 to begin environmentally-friendly collection and recycling pathways for their industry's product packaging.
"The seed industry shares this deep commitment to making a positive environmental impact," said Katherine Delbridge, CEO of the Australian Seed Federation.
Developed as a refined hybrid program of CropLife's existing industry stewardship initiatives drumMUSTER and ChemClear, bagMUSTER has the potential to establish over 800 collection points across Australia over the coming years.
"The pilot trial will help us test and refine logistics, collection infrastructure, industry engagement and collective partnerships to ensure bagMUSTER is fit-for-purpose prior to national expansion," said Dominique Doyle, general manager, Agsafe.
Cossey said: "Critical to futureproofing the program, once fully implemented, bagMUSTER will be an industry-funded model enabled through collaboration with agriculture retail stores, bag suppliers, brand owners, farming associations and local governments. bagMUSTER will not be funded through a farmer levy and so costs to the agricultural sector will be minimised."
For more information about bagMUSTER and how to get involved, visit www.bagmuster.org.au
