DEM to hold obsolete pesticide collections next week

Posted 9/11/14

The Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Agriculture will host three obsolete pesticide collection events next week. The program, called the Obsolete Pesticide Collection Program …

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DEM to hold obsolete pesticide collections next week

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The Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Agriculture will host three obsolete pesticide collection events next week. The program, called the Obsolete Pesticide Collection Program (OPCP), provides farmers and other commercial entities with a no cost alternative to dispose of obsolete pesticides. Among the products eligible for the take-back are those that are no longer able to be used for their intended purposes because they may have become caked, frozen or dried out, along with unregistered and banned pesticides.   

The goal of the initiative, which is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is to collect obsolete, unusable pesticides and properly dispose of them in order to avoid any potential contamination that could result from these hazardous materials. It is not uncommon for these materials to accumulate when once-registered products become unregistered or banned; uses and target pests are removed from labels; and when the pesticides simply outlive their shelf life. There is no cost to the holders of the pesticides who bring them in for disposal.

The three collection events, which are open to all commercial and private applicators, including farmers, have been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the RIDOT Garage located at 439 Tower Hill Road in North Kingstown; Wednesday, Sept. 17 at the RIDOT Garage located at 122 Wyatt Road in Middletown; and Thursday, Sept. 18 at the RIDOT Garage located at 4782 Post Road in Charlestown. Materials will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at each of the events, and participants are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to closing. Once onsite, the materials will be collected by Triumvirate Environmental. They will be sorted, packed, and transported for disposal.

Additional information about the program is available online at www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/agricult/pesticidecollection.php. For questions, call Howard Cook in DEM’s Division of Agriculture at 222-2781, ext. 4504 or contact him via email at: howard.cook@dem.ri.gov.

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