Brazil ranks first in proper pesticides disposal

Pesticides packaging collection is required in Brazil since 2002 and it helped the country to become the first in the world ranking for the allocation of these products packaging. Through a federal law that determined that farmers, manufacturers and dealers were responsible for proper disposal of packaging, the country gathered in the last 13 years more than 250 tons, which results in 94% of the total materials discarded by Brazilian farmers.
 
This percentage is positive due to the Campo Limposystem (reverse logistics of empty pesticide packaging), formed by farmers, manufacturers –they were represented by the National Institute for Processing Empty Containers (inpEV) - distribution channels and the government. Founded in 2001, the institute located in Sao Paulo and it is a nonprofit organization created to manage the disposal of empty pesticide.
 
According to inpEV regional operations coordinator, Marcelo Lerina, responsible for Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarinastates, the system success is a result of several factors: shared responsibilities provided by law, the integration and participation of the various links of the grassland system and investment in educational campaigns. All of the  key factors for the success of the logistics of this kind of material. 'When the empty pesticides container are properly allocated, in addition to meeting federal legislation to deal with the issue, farmers contribute to the preservation of human health and the environment. The law has been widely disseminated through ongoing programs of education and awareness. The responsibility of each link in the agricultural production chain is known and it has already been incorporated into the routine of most participants, as shown by the results of Campo Limpo allocation system, growing each year,"he says.
 
Campo Limpo System has a network of over 400 collect units in 25 states and the Federal District (totaling more than 146,000 square meters of built area and environmentally licensed). There are 42 units in Rio Grande do Sul (eight core and 34 stations). When asked if the system is prepared to follow the growth of Brazilian agriculture in super harvest period, Marcelo emphasizes that the system is ready for this actual agribusiness moment because it is an ally of farmers in sustainable production. "Our forecast for this year is intend environmentally proper 40,000 tons of empty pesticides containers, surpassing last year which was 37.39 million tons," says Lerina, commenting that the growth of this index is constant, since the comparison between 2011 and 2012 there was an increase of 9%.
 
The states that forwarded most packaging to final destination in this same period are MatoGrosso, Parana, Sao Paulo, Goias, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais and Bahia, which together accounted for 85% of total taken off the fields in Brazil. Alagoas, Para and Rio Grande do Norte had higher percentage growth.
 
Indices such as these put Brazil in the global reference position on this subject as the percentage show Brazil allocated more plastic containers than countries with similar systems: Brazil 94%, Germany 77%, Canada 73%, France 66%, Japan 50%, Poland 45%, Spain 40% and Australia 30% and the United States.
 
Over the past 11 years the industry, pesticides distributors and farmers have been invested about R$ 600 million in the program of packaging disposal, and the industry (represented by inpEV) invested more than 80% of this value. Fines for those who violate the correct destination for empty pesticides containers can reach R$ 20,000 in the case of non-compliance.