The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is providing the free pesticide collection event for Missouri households and farmers. Pesticides from businesses, pesticide production facilities, pesticide distributors, pesticide retailers and the like cannot be accepted. This collection event will be taking place in Kennett on Saturday Oct. 6th from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Kennett Compost Station. The Kennett Compost Station is located at 18464 County Road 508, Kennett Missouri.
Collection services are being provided by the Environmental Quality Company (EQ) and will be overseen by Hazardous Waste Program and Environmental Services Program staff. Only pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers containing pesticides/herbicides will be accepted at these events. This program is for Missouri residents only.
This is a rare opportunity that our area rarely gets and often needs. I'm often contacted regarding assistance for the disposal of old farming chemicals and often have to refer these individuals to our solid waste district planners.ˇ The Bootheel RC and D Council always put this in our plan of work, but we never held an event due to lack of funding. This type of program is only available when the federal grant money is available. There was the same event that was held earlier this year at Benton. We didn?t receive much publicity in time for most producers and the distance prohibited most people in this area.
The last pesticide pickup for farmers occurred on June 6, 2001. This was a program that was called Operation Clean Sweep. Operation Clean Sweep, a free pesticide pickup program, collected unwanted, outdated and toxic chemicals valued at more than $100,000 from 35 producers this summer. Nine of the producers registered were from Dunklin County. The cost was underwritten through a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. Banned pesticides such as DDT and Chlordane are still around in agricultural storages areas. There is reluctance on the part of some producers to bring in these chemicals because of mistrust of federal environmental policies. However, it can be very expensive to dispose of them legally, since hazardous waste disposal firms must handle them. I coordinated the disposal for Dunklin County producers. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources Technical Assistance Program coordinated this program. Dr. Bobby Phipps served as the local contact. Ag Distributors of Portageville provided space and equipment at the collection site. Producers taking part in the program were given code numbers when they pre-registered so that they would remain anonymous to those handling the paperwork. The list was destroyed after the pickup was completed.
Many people are not aware that outdated pesticides can still be used according to label directions. But there is a question about the effectiveness of the old materials. The best way to dispose of these unwanted chemicals is to dispose of them legally at one of these pesticide pickup events. It also serves as a reminder that producers need to do a better job of inventory control.
Over the years, I have received calls from individuals who have discovered old pesticides after their loved ones had passed away. Homeowners should look through their storage areas and determine if they have need for these chemical containers, if not, this would be an excellent time to dispose of them properly. If you have questions about this event, you may call the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Southeast Regional Office at 573-840-9750.
University of Missouri Extension programs are open to all