Free event for farmers to empty agricultural chemical drums

Northern Midlands farmers and producers are being encouraged to take advantage of an upcoming drumMUSTER collection event on June 25, 2026, providing a free and convenient opportunity to safely dispose of empty agricultural and veterinary (AgVet) chemical drums.

The collection will be held at Longford Transfer Station, 291 Marlborough Street, Longford, helping local producers clear unused containers from their properties while contributing to one of Australia's most successful agricultural recycling initiatives.

Managed by Agsafe, the not-for-profit organisation responsible for stewardship programs across the Australian agricultural industry, drumMUSTER has been helping farmers responsibly recycle eligible AgVet chemical containers for more than 25 years.

Since its launch in 1998, drumMUSTER has collected more than 47 million containers, diverted almost 50,000 tonnes of plastic and steel from landfill, and established a network of more than 700 collection sites across Australia. 

In 2024, the program reached a significant milestone by successfully recycling recovered plastic into new AgVet chemical drums, creating a genuine circular economy solution for agricultural packaging.

Agsafe chief executive officer Alicia Garden said the program continues to deliver significant environmental, safety and economic benefits for Australian agriculture.

"For more than two decades, drumMUSTER has demonstrated what industry-led stewardship can achieve when farmers, manufacturers, retailers and local communities work together," Ms Garden said.

"The program has helped transform how agricultural packaging is managed in Australia, removing millions of containers from farms and ensuring they are recycled into useful products rather than ending up in landfill, being stockpiled, or disposed of unsafely."

"Every drum recycled through drumMUSTER contributes to cleaner farms, safer workplaces and stronger environmental outcomes. The Northern Midlands collection is an excellent opportunity for local producers to participate in a program that has become a global benchmark for agricultural container recycling."

Empty chemical drums left on farms can create unnecessary risks for people, livestock and the environment. Burning or burying containers is not recommended and can lead to environmental harm.

Through drumMUSTER, eligible containers are collected, inspected and recycled into products such as irrigation pipe, wheelie bins, bollards, fence posts and even new chemical drums. The program helps reduce waste, supports on-farm safety and contributes to Australia's transition towards a more circular economy.

Participants need to ensure the drum displays the drumMUSTER logo, triple rinse the container to remove all chemical residue from inside and outside, remove the lid and dispose of it according to local waste guidelines, as drum lids are made from a different type of plastic and cannot be recycled through the program and then deliver eligible containers to the Northern Midlands collection at Longford Transfer Station on June 25, 2026.

Producers planning to bring more than 100 drums are encouraged to register in advance through the Agsafe website to assist with collection planning and ensure efficient inspections on the day.

For more information about drumMUSTER or to find your nearest collection site, visit agsafe.org.au/drummuster.