Animal health business Zoetis is working with Australian dairy farmers and veterinarians to contribute to a greener environment and help local communities.

Zoetis has partnered with TerraCycle to launch a recycling initiative for dairy farmers in an effort to keep plastic waste out of landfill.

The innovative recycling initiative sees plastic syringes melted down, pelletised, and this raw material can be made into new items such as garden beds, watering cans and outdoor furniture.

The recycling program supports the recycling of empty Teatseal Syringe packaging.

Teatseal is a non-antibiotic product used to prevent mastitisinfections during the dry-off period.

The preventative treatment is administered using a plastic syringe that is not recyclable in kerbside bins, and depending on the herd numbers, the amount of plastic generated per farm can be significant.

Zoetis have partnered with a number of veterinary clinics across Australia enabling farmers to return the used syringes to their local participating clinic, where they are placed in a recycling box.

There are currently 100 collection boxes around Australia.

Australia produces around 8000 tonnes of waste farm plastics a year with only a small percentage currently being recycled.

In the last three years, the Australian Federal Government has strengthened its commitment to ensure the Australian agriculture sector is contributing to global sustainable development goals.