Old and abandoned pesticide collection

Garland County producers will have the opportunity to dispose of their outdated and unused pesticides during a collection event on Friday at the Garland County Fairgrounds.

The pesticide collection is free, confidential and made available through funding from the Arkansas Abandoned Pesticide Trust Fund. Products that will be accepted are outdated, discontinued or unwanted agricultural pesticides. These pesticides may include older products that are more toxic, such as arsenicals, DDT, silvex, heptachlor, dieldrin, lindane and toxaphene.

Many old pesticides cannot legally be used or disposed of through usual means, such as landfills. Outdated and unusable pesticides are a problem for many reasons: some are illegal to use and aren’t subject to conventional disposal. As their containers age or if they’re exposed to fire or flood, these chemicals can be released into the environment — potentially contaminating our environment. If you have pesticides that fall into this category, plan on bringing your pesticides to this event.

Products other than pesticides will not be accepted at the collection sites. Specific materials that will not be accepted include, but are not limited to: explosives or ordinance materials, petroleum products, paints, medical wastes and radioactive materials.

Farm chemicals in all forms and sizes of containers, (e.g. drums, wooden casks, bottles, plastic containers) will be accepted. Chemicals in deteriorated or leaking packaging may need to be over packed — please indicate condition of the container on the Inventory Form. In some cases, on-farm pickup by the hazardous waste contractor may be necessary.

The old pesticides are collected and disposed of through the Arkansas Abandoned Agricultural Pesticide Disposal Program. The pesticides are collected by a licensed hazardous waste professional and disposed of at licensed hazardous waste incinerators.

The purpose of this collection is to promote a safer and cleaner environment by reducing the amount of pesticides that could potentially contaminate the drinking water, groundwater, streams, rivers and lakes across the state. To date, the pesticide collections have brought in more than 771,000 pounds of unwanted materials from 66 counties.

If interested in bringing your pesticides to the event, contact the Garland County Farm Bureau office at 501-623-5691 to pre-register. Any identifying information, such as name and address, will be removed from the registration form so that anonymity may be provided. Call Jimmy Driggers, Garland County extension agent, at 623-6841 for information on safely transporting your chemicals to the event location.

If you have a question about any of the services that the Cooperative Extension Service offers, visit our website at http:// www.uaex.edu and follow the links to a wealth of information from livestock to agriculture, to gardening, family and consumer science topics, exercise, etc.

Master Gardeners Master Gardeners receive 40 hours of training in general horticulture from experts in their field. Then, they volunteer at least 40 hours of their time in Master Gardener projects. There are additional educational and social opportunities, too. For more information, call Allen Bates at 623-6841.

EHC Interested in joining an existing Extension Homemaker’s Club or would you and a group of your friends like to organize a club in your community? For information, call Jessica Vincent at 623-6841.

4-H

If between the ages of 5 and

19, you can join 4-H. There is a club for you, or you and a group of friends can organize a club of your own. For information, call Linda Bates at 623-6841.