Unwanted Pesticide Disposal Program to be Held in Woodward

Woodward, Okla. - Pesticide applicators and dealers, homeowners, farmers, ranchers and gardeners are invited to participate in an Unwanted Pesticide Disposal Program from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Woodward County Fairgrounds.

Funded by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, the program will allow Oklahomans to properly dispose of unwanted pesticides at the event. This valuable service will reduce the complications and costs often associated with pesticide disposal.

Unwanted pesticides are pesticides that are no longer usable for their intended purpose. They may be leftover, without labels and identifying information, or they may no longer be registered in Oklahoma. All pesticides – herbicides, insectisides and fungicides –  will be accepted. No other hazardous waste materials will be accepted.

“The Unwanted Pesticide Disposal program has collected over 830,000 pounds of unwanted pesticides since it began in 2006,” said Ryan Williams, ODAFF pesticide certification and training administrator. “This gives companies, homeowners and producers an opportunity to properly dispose of outdated, unwanted and unused pesticides.”

Dealers are asked to pre-register through the OSU Pesticide Safety Education Program to allow the contractor to prepare for large quantities. Others are not required to pre-register for the event.

Participation is free for the first 2,000 pounds of pesticides brought per participant. After this limit is reached, the participant will be responsible for the additional cost of disposal, which will depend on the amount and type of pesticide.

The program is a service designed to remove unusable pesticides from storage and reduce the potential threat to public health and the environment. All participants will remain anonymous and will not be required to provide their names or any details.

“The Unwanted Pesticide Disposal program and its participants play a vital role in protecting our natural resources from improper disposal of pesticides,” Williams said.

Dealers can pre-register at www.pested.okstate.edu/html/unwanted.html. For more information, visit this website or contact Williams at ryan.williams@ag.ok.gov or 405-522-5993.