• What do you do with all those pesticides that are left over and no longer needed?
• Do you pour them down the drain?
• Do you throw them in the trash can?
• Do you bury them in the field?
• Do you just let them sit in your storage building or shop and forget about them?

I hope the answer to all these questions is no!

On Tuesday, March 28, the Robeson County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Service and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will provide an "Unwanted Pesticide Collection Day" for people in Robeson and surrounding counties. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., you will be able to take any containers of pesticides you no longer need or want to the Robeson County Fairgrounds. Personnel will be on hand to receive these pesticides with no questions asked. They will package the pesticides in containers and will ship them to an approved disposal site where they will be properly incinerated.

If either a homeowner or a farmer wanted to properly dispose of an unwanted pesticide, even a small amount, the cost could run into thousands of dollars. But this service is being provided at no cost at all for local citizens.

Homeowners may feel that this unwanted pesticide disposal day is for farmers and not for them. But this is definitely not the case. Many homeowners have old pesticides sitting around that they no longer need or want. They may not even know what some of them are. There may be old aerosol cans that have lost their fizz and no longer spray. There may be half empty bottles or cans of chemicals that are no longer needed.

Unwanted pesticides around a home are a special problem, because these pesticides are usually stored where they are easily accessible. Many family members, especially children, may not be familiar with pesticides and may accidentally spill them or ingest them.

Another reason for conducting an unwanted pesticide collection day is to help farmers get rid of any chemicals that are outdated or no longer registered for use on the crops they are growing. In some cases, they may need to get rid of surplus chemicals simply because they no longer need them or no longer want them.

I encourage all farmers to take a few minutes to clean out their pesticide storage areas and use this opportunity to properly dispose of any chemicals that are no longer needed or wanted. If you allow these products to sit in your storage areas for long periods of time, the containers may begin to leak or an accidental spill may occur. Besides, if they are no longer needed, they are just in the way and may be taking up valuable storage space.

I receive calls very often from landowners who have inherited a farm, and they no longer live on the farm. When he farmed, their father had accumulated an assortment of pesticides that are still stored in some of the buildings on the farm. If you are in this situation, this is your opportunity to inspect those buildings and make arrangements to get rid of all those old pesticides that are no longer needed.

Any pesticides that are still in their original containers will be accepted. If the container is leaking or in very pour condition, just place it in a clear plastic bag and tie it up, so the chemical will not spill out.

Only pesticides will be accepted. No oils, paints, or cleaning materials will be accepted. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of unwanted pesticides by taking them to the Robeson County Fairgrounds, Highway 41 South, Lumberton, on March 28. If you have any questions or need more information, please call me or Melissa Hoggard at 910-671-3276.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 06/26/06