Collection of obsolete pesticide and livestock medicines in September

Monday, August 29, 2016

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario farmers will be able to drop off obsolete pesticide and livestock medicines at 40 agricultural retailers across the province next month as part of the CleanFARMS Inc. collection program.

CleanFARMS, a non-profit agricultural industry stewardship organization, holds its obsolete and livestock (including equine) medicines collection once every three years in every province. The last “round-up in Ontario was in 2013,” notes Barry Friesen, general manager of CleanFARMS.

In 2013, 114,200 kilograms of product in Ontario was collected, he says.

There’s no charge for farmers to drop off their outdated pesticides (both liquid and solid) and livestock medicines. Needles or sharps are not being accepted as part of the program.

Friesen says they hire a licensed hazardous waste hauler to remove the products, which are disposed of through “high temperature incineration.”

This year’s program runs from Sept. 20 to Sept. 30. The collection site locations and dates are available here: http://cleanfarms.ca/obsoletepesticidelivestock_ON.html.

The program is funded by members of CleanFARMS and the Canadian Animal Health Institute’s members. BF