Abbotsford farmers turned in 10,134 kilograms of obsolete pesticides during a two-day collection held in partnership with CleanFARMS and the City of Abbotsford.
These collection programs are offered “to ensure unwanted or obsolete pesticides can be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way, at no cost to farmers,” said Barry Friesen, general manager of CleanFARMS.
On Oct. 19 and 20, producers were invited to return pesticides at the Abbotsford Mission Recycling Depot. Throughout the month of October, collections were also held at four other locations in the Fraser Valley and on Vancouver Island.
“We were pleased to partner with CleanFARMs to deliver this program,” said Barry Azevedo, solid waste and environmental engineer for the City of Abbotsford. “The obsolete pesticide collection program makes it easy for farmers to safely and responsibly dispose of unwanted products, and this benefits the whole community.”
CleanFARMS partnered with the BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) to fund and operate this program. Since 1998, more than 1.4 million kilograms of obsolete or unwanted agricultural pesticides have been collected through the program – more than 207,000 of which have been collected in B.C. After collection, the pesticides are taken to a licensed disposal facility.