Bradley County producers and commercial applicators will have the opportunity to dispose of their outdated and unused pesticides during a collection event on Tuesday, March 7. The event will take place at the Bradley County Fairgrounds. Inventory forms are due by March 1, and can be picked up at the Bradley County Extension Office or Farm Bureau office.
The pesticide collection is free and is made available through funding from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Abandoned Pesticide Trust Fund. Products that will be accepted are outdated, discontinued or unwanted agricultural pesticides. These pesticides may include older products that are more toxic, such as arsenicals, DDT, silvex, heptachlor, dieldrin, lindane and toxaphene.
Many old pesticides cannot legally be used or disposed of through usual means, such as landfills. If you have pesticides that fall into this category, plan on bringing your pesticides to this event.
The purpose of this collection is to promote a safer and cleaner environment by reducing the amount of pesticides that could potentially contaminate the drinking water, groundwater, streams, rivers and lakes across the state. To date the pesticide collections have brought in over 5 million pounds of unwanted materials from seventy-five (75) counties.
If you’re interested in bringing your pesticides to the event, contact the Bradley County Farm Bureau office at 870-226-2649 to pre-register. Any identifying information, such as name and address, will be removed from the registration form so that anonymity may be provided. Contact your county agent at 870-226-8410 for information on safely transporting your chemicals to the event location.