State agencies plan pesticide disposal
AUGUSTA, Maine — This October, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Board of Pesticides Control and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will help Mainers dispose of banned or unusable pesticides.
The Maine Obsolete Pesticides Collection Program is a free annual program for homeowners, family-owned farms and greenhouses. The program has collected almost 100 tons of pesticides since its inception.
The Aroostook County collection will occur in Presque Isle. Registration by Sept. 23, 2016 is mandatory — drop-ins are not permitted.
“Homeowners and farmers inadvertently store banned pesticides or pesticides that have become unusable,” said Maine Agriculture Commissioner Walt Whitcomb. “They can be found in basements, garages, barns and recently purchased homes. The Maine Obsolete Pesticides Collection Program helps prevent unwanted pesticides from being thrown in the trash or poured down the drain, potentially contaminating the land or drinking water.”
The collected chemicals go to out-of-state disposal facilities licensed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, where they are incinerated or reprocessed.
“Proper disposal of pesticides gives everyone the opportunity to make a positive impact on our environment and public health at no cost to Maine residents,” said Maine DEP Commissioner Paul Mercer. “The collection events are held at several locations across the state, and registering is free and easy.”
The Maine Obsolete Pesticides Collection Program, jointly sponsored by the BPC and DEP, and paid for entirely through pesticide product registration fees, has kept more than 97 tons of pesticides out of the waste stream since its start in 1982.
To register, get details, and learn important information about the temporary storage and transportation of obsolete pesticides, visit thinkfirstspraylast.org, or call (207) 287-2731.
