By Brant Wilbourn
Associate Director
Commodity & Regulatory Activities

Due to state budget cuts in previous years, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality no longer conducts collections for used agricultural pesticide containers.

During the recent legislative session, HB 2548, authored by Rep. Stephenson, failed. This legislation would have funded educational efforts about pesticide disposal and would have implemented a pesticide container collection program.

Currently, Texas pesticide applicators have two options to dispose of their empty pesticide containers.

The first option is to take the containers to a local landfill. Some landfills may refuse to accept pesticide containers, or charge a fee for disposal, so it is best to call before taking the containers to the landfill.

The other option is to recycle them. The Agricultural Container Recycling Council (ACRC), which is made up of chemical manufacturers, formulators and packagers, supports programs to collect and recycle clean containers throughout the nation. The ACRC contracts with USAg Recycling to conduct the collection and recycling of used containers in Texas. USAg Recycling may be contacted to set up a collection of at least 500 jugs or 50 drums in an area by calling 1-800-654-3145. To meet the number of container requirements from USAg Recycling, it is suggested that applicators coordinate with pesticide dealers and co-ops.

When disposing of used pesticide containers, both methods of disposal require that the containers are properly cleaned by using a triple rinse method before they can be accepted by the landfill or recycled. The triple rinse method can be completed as follows:

? • Empty the remaining contents into application equipment or a mix tank and drain for 10 seconds after the flow begins to drip.
? • Fill the container ¼ full with water and recap. Shake for 10 seconds.
? • Pour the liquid into the application equipment or a mix tank.
? • Drain the container for 10 seconds after the flow begins to drip.
? • Repeat this procedure two more times to complete the triple rinse procedure.
? • If the containers are non-refillable, they must also be made unusable by puncturing and crushing if disposed of at the landfill.

Remember: Open burning of pesticide containers is illegal in Texas.