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10.4 million pounds pesticide containers recycled in US last year

In 2015, a record 10,440,000 pounds (4,736 tons) of pesticide containers were collected and recycled in the USA under the auspices of the industry funded Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC). This represents a 4 % increase over 2014. This was the sixth year in a row that pesticide container recycling exceeded eight million pounds. Since 1993, over 163 million pounds (73,936tons) of pesticide containers have been collected and recycled as a result of pesticide manufacturing industry funding of the ACRC.

California once again led the nation in 2015 with 1,918,327 pounds (870 tons) of containers recycled. California’s twenty three year total now exceeds 27.6 million pounds (12,519 tons). Washington, Texas, Iowa and Mississippi rounded out the top five in containers recycled in 2014. Of the 43 states that comprise the ACRC program, 28 reported increases and 15 reported decreases in total pounds recycled in 2015 compared with 2014. Significant increases (greater than 50 percent) were reported for Virginia, Michigan, Alabama, South Carolina, Nevada, and Florida. These increases reflect an extraordinary effort by the ACRC contractors, as well as the regulatory agencies, agri-business associations, individual growers, pesticide applicators, and ag retailers in those states.

ACRC's target is to approximately recycle 11.0 million pounds (5,000 tons) of pesticide containers in 2016.