Final weeks to enter the Great Twine Round-Up contest

Alberta producers, 4-H clubs and agricultural organizations still have time to take part in the 2026 Great Twine Round-Up contest before the May 31 deadline.

The province-wide initiative, led by the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group (APRG) through the Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle-It! pilot program, encourages producers to recycle used plastic baler twine while supporting Alberta’s agricultural community.

A total of $12,000 is being split between four cash prizes of $3,000. Three prizes are awarded to the winners’ respective 4-H clubs. The first prize was randomly drawn in March and awarded to the T&M 4-H Club. The fourth prize category is for independent entrants, in which the winner awards its prize to an Alberta-based ag charity of its choice.

“The level of participation we’ve seen in this contest since it began is a testament to the importance of having access to sustainable solutions in agriculture,” says Assar Grinde, Chair of APRG. “We’re excited to see the compounding impact of the Great Twine Round-Up contest and other agricultural sustainability initiatives in Alberta.”

The contest is part of Alberta’s ongoing agricultural plastics recycling efforts. In 2025, Cleanfarms reported recycling 673,000 of grain bags and 95,400 kilograms of twine through the pilot program.

How to participate

Participants can:

• Collect used plastic baler twine in collection bags available for free at participating collection sites or the Rocky View County Municipal Hall
• Label each bag with either a 4-H club/district name or an individual/farm name, along with the date
• Drop off bags at a participating collection site before May 31, 2026
• Take a photo of the bags at the collection site
• Submit the photo through the contest website at Great Twine Round-Up

The more bags submitted, the more contest entries participants receive.

A full list of collection sites and complete contest rules are available at greattwineroundup.ca.

The Great Twine Round-Up helps keep agricultural baler twine out of landfills by providing a practical recycling solution for Alberta producers. Collected twine is recycled into new products such as car parts, greenhouse pots and trays, composite decking, and dimensional lumber.

Collection sites accepting twine can be found through the Cleanfarms Collection Sites Map.

More information about the recycling program is available through Cleanfarms Alberta Ag-Plastic. Recycle-It! Program Details.