AUGUSTA, Maine — Unusable pesticides, such as weed killers (herbicides) and bug killers (insecticides), can be dangerous to humans, pets and the environment. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Board of Pesticides Control will offer free disposal next month at four sites throughout the state.
Participants must pre-register by October 5, 2018. Drop-ins are not permitted. Collections will occur at four sites: Presque Isle, Bangor, Augusta, and Portland.
Pesticides can become unusable due to age, freezing or evaporation, or because their legal registration changes. Improper disposal of these products can contaminate land and water resources, including drinking water.
Homeowners, family-owned farms and greenhouses can dispose of unusable pesticides through the free Obsolete Pesticide Collection sponsored by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, the BPC and DEP. The program is funded through product registration fees; since 1982 it has kept more than 103 tons of pesticides out of the waste stream.
“Providing Maine residents with a free and easy solution to properly dispose of pesticides gives everyone an opportunity to make a positive impact on our environment and public health,” said Paul Mercer, DEP Commissioner.
DACF Commissioner Walt Whitcomb encouraged Mainers to seize this free opportunity. “It is not uncommon for people to find themselves with obsolete pesticides and not know how to dispose of them. It’s important for the protection of the public, wildlife, and environmental health that they are dealt with properly and not thrown in the trash or down the drain.”
To register and for more information, go to the BPC Web site at thinkfirstspraylast.org, or call 207-287-2731.
For more information on the Maine Board of Pesticides Control, go to: thinkfirstspraylast.org.
For more information on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, go to: maine.gov/dep.
