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Helping the Environment – Seminis Has Got It in the Bag
In an effort to offer more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions to its customers, Seminis has teamed with the International Bag Applications Corporation (IBAC) to initiate a bulk bag reclamation program.
“Our customers are just as concerned about the environment as we are,” said Seminis sales representative, Paul Skalitzky. “With their participation, we can greatly reduce the impact on our landfills and the environment.”
The program focus is the reclamation of bulk bags used to deliver pea seed to Seminis customers. The bags, made from a woven polypropylene, weigh an average of 7 pounds and hold 2,000-2,500 pounds of seed. Guaranteed for one use from the manufacturer, IBAC will clean and recertify their use, in some cases up to six times.
“Every bag that is returned to IBAC for reclamation through the Seminis program is seven pounds of plastic that may be reported as landfill avoidance,” IBAC vice president, Chance Greene said.
This is the first year of Seminis involvement in this program, but Monsanto has worked with IBAC for the last seven years. IBAC reports that in 2006 alone Monsanto’s participation in the bulk bag reclamation program resulted in a landfill reduction of 2.1 million pounds.
“To make the Seminis project successful, we need customer involvement,” Skalitzky said. “They have to be educated on the proper way to open the bags upon arrival and also how to bundle them up after use so that they may be eligible for reclamation.”
Greene advises program participants take care when emptying bags so as not to damage them. Once empty, the bags should be packaged together, baling is preferred. Then participants should contact IBAC to coordinate shipment.
Upon arrival at the IBAC facility in Texas, the bags are inflated and examined using an internal light source to determine which ones are suitable for processing. From there, the bags are laundered and hung to dry before they are inspected once again. Unusable bags are melted down to make new plastic pellets for another sustainable application.
“Its better for the environment for a lot of reasons,” Greene said. “You’re not burning the bags, when bags are land filled they take many decades to decompose, and finally there is the economic savings in terms of landfill expense.”
Participants in the Seminis bulk bag reclamation program not only have the opportunity to help the environment, they also will see a reduction in their own costs since they won’t have to pay bulk-bag disposal fees to their waste management service provider.
For more information about the Seminis bulk bag reclamation program, please contact your local Seminis representative.
