July 22, 2016
Dear Marijuana Producer,
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Waste Pesticide Program is planning to hold collection events in Western Washington during mid-September, and in Central Washington during late October, where you can safely and properly dispose of unusable and unwanted pesticide products. To reserve a space in these 2016 disposal events, please contact WSDA by August 5 (Western WA), and by August 31 (Central WA). You can sign-up for disposal by contacting WSDA via email at WastePesticide@agr.wa.govand submit an inventory form by August 12 (Western WA), and by September 8 (Central WA). You may also call 360-902-2056.
Collection events will be scheduled at locations based upon where they best serve the customers who contact WSDA by August 5 (Western WA), and by August 31 (Central WA). Once the specific event locations and dates are scheduled, people who sign-up will be notified by program staff and given further instructions about the collection event, time and location.
To participate in these 2016 disposal events, please submit an inventory by August 12 (Western WA), and by September 8 (Central WA), for the pesticides you wish to dispose. Go to agr.wa.gov/wastepesticide to be directed to the Waste Pesticide webpage where the inventory form and the instructions document can be downloaded. Once completed, email the form to WSDA at WastePesticide@agr.wa.gov, fax to (360-902-2093) or mail to the address on the form. Upon receipt of the inventory form a confirmation of receipt will be sent to you. Those who have already submitted inventories are signed up and will be contacted by WSDA with event details.
If you do not feel safe or are uncomfortable handling the pesticides, have containers larger than 5-gallons with unknown contents or more than seven containers of any size with unknown contents, please contact WSDA and request on-site assistance. Upon request, the Program will provide on-site assistance at no charge to safely inventory your unwanted chemicals and overpack dangerous items and containers in poor condition (cracked, corroded or leaking). The Program also provides clear, plastic overpack bags at no charge. In certain circumstances, WSDA may be able to arrange collection of unusable pesticides directly from your property.
This Program only collects unusable/unwanted agricultural and commercial grade pesticides. Materials such as fertilizers, micronutrients, motor oil and Household Hazardous Wastes (HHW) are not accepted at WSDA collections.
As a reminder, WSDA operates the Waste Pesticide Identification and Disposal Program. The Program collects unusable agricultural and commercial grade pesticides from residents, farmers, small businesses and public agencies free of charge. Events are held at locations across Washington State where customers can take their unusable pesticides for proper disposal. The Program’s goal is to help Washingtonians properly dispose of unused or unusable pesticides to prevent human and animal exposure, prevent use of cancelled pesticides on crops and to eliminate the potential source of environmental contamination. Proper disposal is also a requirement for growers seeking Good Agricultural Practices certification.
Collection events are scheduled, based in part, upon pre-determined customer interest. You can now apply any time throughout the year to participate in a collection event by visiting the Program’s web site agr.wa.gov/wastepesticide to obtain a disposal inventory form and then “apply for pesticide disposal” by submitting a completed inventory form to the Program. Go to the website and/or contact the Program when you have a disposal need. Do not wait for WSDA to announce a collection event.
In addition to WSDA’s Waste Pesticide Identification and Disposal Program, Agri-Plas Inc., operates a statewide empty plastic pesticide Container Recycling Program. Their email address is recycle@agriplasinc.com. The Agricultural Container Recycling Council sponsors a national pesticide container-recycling program and is an excellent source for container recycling information.
To date, the Waste Pesticide Identification and Disposal Program has safely disposed of over 3.1 million pounds of unusable pesticides from nearly 8,000 customers since the program was initiated in 1988.
WSDA thanks you for your interest in pesticide stewardship, proper disposal of unused products and recycling your empty containers!
Sincerely,
WSDA Waste Pesticide Identification and Disposal Program Team
WA State Dept. of Agriculture
PO BOX 42589
OLYMPIA WA 98504-2589
Web: agr.wa.gov/wastepesticide
Email: wastepesticide@agr.wa.gov
Telephone: 360-902-2056
Toll Free: 1-877-301-4555
Fax: 360-902-2093
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