Pesticide Disposal

Pesticide Disposal. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

If you live in the Washington coastal counties of Pacific and Grays Harbor or grow cranberries, listen up. The Washington State Department of Agriculture is planning a pesticide disposal coming up. WSDA’s Mike Louisell has the details.

LOUISELL: We’re focusing on that area because our last major pick up there was a couple of years ago in 2010 and there’s a lot of cranberry growers and we’re focusing on pesticides that they may no longer need like insecticides or some herbicides and we invite farmers, growers and cities that use pesticides and others that have larger quantities to go ahead and call us. They might be pesticides that are no longer registered for use or they might be pesticides that they had a purpose for at one time with a certain crop they were growing but maybe they’re in a different line of work. Maybe they’ve become an organic grower and no longer need those pesticides.

Louisell says that nearly 2.7 million pounds of unusable pesticides have been collected from over 7,300 customers since the program began in 1988. WSDA regulates the registration and sale of pesticides. The department also enforces state and federal laws to protect people, property and the environment against the improper use or disposal of pesticides. For details, visit their website.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.