MCALESTER, Okla. – The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is funding a program to help collect and properly dispose of unwanted pesticides homeowners, farmers, ranchers, commercial applicators, or dealers may have from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 21 at the Pittsburgh County Fairgrounds.
The disposal program is a service program designed to remove unusable pesticides from storage and reduce the potential threat to public health and the environment.
Applicators, homeowners, farmers, and ranchers are not required to pre-register, but dealers are asked to voluntarily pre-register through the Oklahoma State University Pesticide Safety Education Program. This allows the contractor to plan the appropriate resources to handle the quantity of pesticides that come into the collections.
There is no cost for the first 2,000 pounds of pesticides brought in by a participant.
“Protecting our environment and natural resources are of the utmost importance,” said Ryan Williams, ODAFF pesticide certification and training administrator. “Events like these ensure safe and proper disposal of unwanted pesticides preventing them from potentially polluting our environment.”
Visit the OSU Pesticide Safety Education Program for information regarding tips for transporting pesticides and how to register at http://pested.okstate.edu/html/unwanted.html. For additional questions contact Ryan Williams at, ryan.williams@odaff-staging.kochcomm.dev or 405-522-5993.