Ontario farmers safely dispose of more than 138,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides and livestock medications

TORONTO, ON

Farmers in Ontario returned 125,981 kilograms of obsolete and unwanted pesticides and 12,080 kilograms of livestock and equine medications through CleanFARMS’ obsolete collection campaign this year.

CleanFARMS, which operates the program, is a national, industry-led agricultural waste stewardship organization. Collections took place at 40 participating ag-retail locations throughout the province from September 20-30, 2016. This is the fourth collection program CleanFARMS has run in the province. This marked the third time that a combined collection of pesticides and livestock medications has been offered in Ontario. CleanFARMS partnered with the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI) to offer the collection of livestock and equine medications to CleanFARMS’ existing program.

“Ontario farmers care about the environment and are keen to responsibly manage waste from their farms,” said Craig Hunter, manager of research and crop protection with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (OFVGA). “Our members have been taking part since the first disposal program was made available to them. We applaud CleanFARMS and industry for continuing such a valued program that provides a one-stop service to safely manage unused or expired pesticides and livestock medications.”

Ontario farmers have a long history of good stewardship practices and have been participating in the obsolete collections program since 1999 – which is a testament to their environmental commitment. The program last came to Ontario in 2013, when more than 128,000 kilograms of product was collected from farmers and safely disposed of.

“This year’s collection was a great success thanks to the commitment of Ontario farmers and participating ag-retail collection sites,” said Barry Friesen, CleanFARMS’ general manager.

“CleanFARMS is proud to offer collection programs that ensure unwanted and obsolete pesticides, as well as livestock and equine medications, can be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way.”

The obsolete collection program is generally delivered in each province or region of the country every three years and comes at no cost to farmers. The program will be delivered in again in the fall of 2019. In between collections, farmers are encouraged to safely store their unwanted pesticides and livestock medications until they can properly dispose of them through the program.

Funding for a portion of the Ontario obsolete collection was funded under the Canada – Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health which is administered in part by the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The obsolete collection program is part of the plant science and animal health industry’s commitment to the responsible lifecycle management of their products.

For more information, please visit www.cleanfarms.ca.

For further information: Maja Begovic, Communications Officer, (416) 622-4460 x2222, begovicm@cleanfarms.ca

-30-