| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Kyle Wasson |
| June 6, 2005 | (406) 444-5400 TTY (406) 444-4687 |
Pesticide Disposal Offered in SW Montana
HELENA, Mont. — Pesticide users who have old insecticides, herbicides, rodent poisons or fungicides lying around unused can dispose of them this month at three locations in Southwestern Montana.
The Montana Department of Agriculture will hold its annual waste pesticide collection in Townsend on June 21, in Bozeman on June 22, and in Dillon on June 23. The nonregulatory, service program enables agricultural producers, businesses and other pesticide users to dispose of unusable chemicals safely, economically and conveniently.
"The longer a pesticide is held in storage, the greater the risk of spillage that will cause injury to people or contamination of the environment," says Nancy K. Peterson, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture.
Old pesticides that are neglected or in poor storage conditions can expose children, livestock and pets, causing serious injury or death. Containers can corrode and leak. Fire or flooding can cause releases that contaminate soils and groundwater, requiring costly cleanup.
Unusable pesticides are those that cannot be applied because the registration has been canceled, such as DDT, EDB, dinoseb, chloridane, endrin or mercury. The program also accepts products that cannot be used because of product age, storage conditions, or loss of label.
Fertilizers, motor oils solvents, and paints cannot be accepted at the pesticide collections.
Participants are asked to pre-register so that the program can be operated safely, efficiently and with a minimum of congestion at the collection sites. Directions to the sites and the time for participants to arrive will be mailed to you after registration forms are received. Pre-registration forms must be returned by Tuesday, June 14.
Information about the safe transportation of the pesticides to the collection site will be provided.
The program has a fee of $1 per pound for the first 200 pounds, and 50 cents per pound for additional amounts over 200 pounds. Disposal by other services can cost 5 to 10 times more.
Additional information and registration forms are available by contacting Kyle Wasson in Helena at (406) 444-5400; by mail at Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Disposal Program, P.O. Box 200201, Helena, MT 59620-0201; or by e-mail at kwasson@mt.gov
Additional information is available online at http://agr.mt.gov/pestfert/disposal.asp
