Many Maine citizens may be living unaware of a quiet crisis lurking in or near their homes. In barns, basements, sheds, or garages throughout the State reside tons of banned and unusable pesticides: old chemicals with infamous names like DDT, lead arsenate, 2,4,5-T, and chlordane.
HAZARDOUS WASTE — There will be four sites throughout the state in October where people will be able to bring their obsolete pesticides. The collected chemicals go to out-of-state disposal facilities licensed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where they are incinerated or reprocessed. For more information, contact the Board of Pesticides Control at 287-2731.
Often, new owners of older homes or farms discover they have inherited hazardous waste. At this point, they face a dilemma: hire an expensive hazardous waste disposal service or dump the chemicals illegally, inviting harm to the environment and public health.
Fortunately, there’s a third option that’s both legal and responsible. Even better, it’s free, simply by contacting the Maine Board of Pesticides Control (BPC). With an increase in funding from pesticide registration fees, the BPC has, for the time being, reinstated its Obsolete Pesticide Collection Program. During the first week of October, the BPC, with help from the Department of Environmental Protection, will collect and dispose of pesticides that are banned or have become caked, frozen, or otherwise unusable. And, again, there is no cost to homeowners (or taxpayers!).
To take advantage of this opportunity, contact the BPC immediately to register for the collection (see contact information below). There will be four sites throughout the state where people will be able to bring their obsolete pesticides. The collected chemicals go to out-of-state disposal facilities licensed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where they are incinerated or reprocessed.
While offering free obsolete pesticide disposal is expensive, it’s clearly a bargain compared to the potential environmental damage and the extremely high cost of cleaning up contaminated soil or water. However, future funding is not guaranteed, so the BPC urges people to take advantage of this year’s collection while its available.
To register, find out collection dates and locations, and learn important information about the temporary storage and transportation of obsolete pesticides, go to the BPC Web site at www.thinkfirstspraylast.org. Or, call the BPC at 287-2731.
Should you miss this collection, check with your local town office to see if your town or one nearby will be offering a household hazardous waste collection day where pesticides are accepted.
The BPC is the lead state agency for pesticide regulation. It is an administrative unit of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, with policy decisions made by a seven-member, public board. The BPC is creator of YardScaping (www.yardscaping.org), a statewide program that recognizes the connection between backyards and watersheds, and calls for Maine citizens to make lawn and landscape care choices that protect the environment and improve the value of their home.
This column was submitted by Paul Schlein, public information officer for the Maine Board of Pesticides Control. In Our Back Yard is a weekly column of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. E-mail your environmental questions to infoDEP@maine.gov or send them to In Our Back Yard, Maine DEP, 17 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-00017.
