MDA Collects 32 Tons of Empty Pesticide Containers

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has recycled nearly 800,000 plastic pesticide containers – 64,000 of them this year – through its pesticide container recycling programs for farmers, golf courses, government agencies and commercial applicators. This program, in its 21st year of operation, helps prevent pesticide residues from entering the soil and local waterways and saves valuable landfill space. This recycling service is free and paid for with money collected from licensing and certification fees and pesticide product registration fees.

“This beneficial pesticide recycling program helps to protect the Chesapeake Bay by removing potential contaminants from the environment through proper disposal and provides sources of recycled materials for vendors,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “We are very pleased with the response of farmers, commercial pesticide applicators and other pesticide users.”

Each year since 1993, MDA has operated an empty pesticide plastic container inspection and collection program open to the public in at least six locations from June through September. In addition, 21 pesticide dealer sites participate in the program. The collected containers are chipped and processed by a contractor hired by the Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC), which is fully funded by member companies and affiliates that formulate, produce, package and distribute crop protection and other pesticide products.

This year, 56,103 containers, weighing 32 tons, were collected from 128 participants. During the program’s 21 years, MDA has collected and recycled more than 799,000 empty pesticide containers weighing 351 tons. This year the program operated in 13 counties: Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington and Wicomico.

MDA regulates the use of pesticides and provides educational programs for private (farmer), public agency and commercial pesticide applicators that operate in Maryland to ensure that pesticide are used properly and that adverse effects from their use are avoided or minimized.