The South Dakota Department of Agriculture is collecting pesticide containers this summer. Anyone with empty plastic pesticide containers can bring them to the nearest collection location for recycling. Amanda Bachmann (BOCK-man) is a pesticide specialist at South Dakota State University. She says the Department of Agriculture has offered this program since 1993 and has become one of its most popular services. Bachmann says many waste management companies will not accept pesticide containers, so recycling them prevents improper disposal.
BITE (:14) “By properly recycling the containers, it keeps those items out of landfills and allows them to be recycled and used in other non-food related plastic products.”
Bachmann says the SDDA requires pesticide containers to be triple or pressure cleaned and preferably without caps or labels before recycling. She adds that the SDDA will make at least one stop in each county throughout the summer.
The complete list of locations and dates for pesticide container recycling is available through the SDDA website.