February 10, 2014 – Etobicoke, ON – Alberta farmers demonstrated their commitment to environmental stewardship by turning in 35,800 kilograms of obsolete or unwanted pesticides for safe disposal in 2013.

The obsolete pesticide collection program – part of a two-year initiative – took place at three ag-retail locations in the Peace Region and 16 ag-retail locations in the Central region last October.

“Alberta farmers are some of the very best stewards of the land and their participation in this program certainly demonstrates that,” says Barry Friesen, general manager of Cleanfarms, which operates the program. “When it’s time to dispose of unwanted pesticides, they do so safely and responsibly. This improves their operations and allows them to grow a safe food supply for Canadians.”

Since the first Alberta collection campaign in 2002, more than 305,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides have been turned in by farmers.

“The program offered by Cleanfarms provides an environmentally sustainable way for our farmers to dispose of unused pesticides, contributing to the health of the land by keeping these products out of landfills,” says Mr. Lynn Jacobson, President of the Alberta Federation of Agriculture.

Cleanfarms is a national industry-led agricultural waste stewardship organization. After collection, pesticides are taken to a licensed waste management facility where they are safely disposed of through high-temperature incineration. More than 1.9 million kilograms of obsolete pesticide has been collected and safely destroyed in Canada since the program launched in 1998.

The obsolete pesticide collection program generally comes to each region of Alberta every three years at no cost to farmers. In between collections, farmers are asked to safely store their unwanted pesticides until they can properly dispose of them through the program.

This Cleanfarms program is part of the plant science industry’s commitment to responsible lifecycle management of its products. For more information, visit www.cleanfarms.ca.