Sites open next week in Echo Bay and Thessalon promote safe disposal and environmental stewardship
Sault Ste. Marie (September 21, 2016): The Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN) is organizing the collection of obsolete pesticide and livestock medication from Algoma farmers, which will be transported to the CleanFARMS collection site in Gore Bay, Manitoulin Island.
CleanFARMS is an industry-led non-profit organization that has been offering farm waste management programs in Canada for 20 years. Every four years CleanFARMS runs a province-wide obsolete pesticide collection program. This September they have set up collection sites at participating agricultural retail locations across Ontario for obsolete and unwanted pesticides and livestock/equine medications. The products collected at these locations will be disposed of safely and in an environmentally responsible way. More information about this and other programs is available at www.cleanfarms.ca.
The closest collection site to Algoma District is at Northland Agromart in Gore Bay, which will be accepting products between 9am and 4pm from September 27 to 29. Depending on a farmer’s location, a round trip from Algoma could take between 6 and 10 hours – a long way to drop off a few items. To help lessen travel for farmers, RAIN is offering to take a pick-up truck and trailer down to Manitoulin to encourage farmer participation in this free program. The next CleanFARMS obsolete pesticide and livestock medication collection is scheduled to take place in fall 2019.
Farmers with items that qualify for the program can drop them off during business hours at the Echo Bay Co-op on September 26 and 27, and at Rankin’s Supply in Thessalon on September 28. Eligible products must have a Pest Control Product number, DIN number, or Serial Number on the label.
CleanFARMS only accepts products meant for agricultural use. Homeowners with unwanted pesticides for use in the home or garden should contact their municipal landfill about home hazardous waste disposal.
For more information, please contact:
– David Thompson, RAIN Research Project Coordinator with the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, 705-942-7927 ext. 3027, dthompson@ssmic.com
– Russel Hurst with CropLife Canada/CleanFARMS, 416-622-9771 x2223