by John Dowd
The annual Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) chemical pesticide waste disposal event will be coming to Hamilton this year. Part of the state’s Pesticide & Waste Disposal Program, the event creates an opportunity for Montanans to dispose of their pesticide waste at very little cost. According to the waste disposal program coordinator with MDA, Carli Davis, “It’s a really reasonable and environmentally friendly way to get rid of these chemicals.”
This will be the first time in nearly three years the event will take place in the area. According to Davis, the event cycles among MDA’s three state districts, including the western, central and eastern districts. This year, the western district will give farmers, ranchers and anyone else looking to take advantage of this opportunity the ability to dispose of their chemical pesticides nearly for free.
For the first 200 pounds, the disposal drop-off fee is literally free, with only a $1 per pound charge after that, with a minimum of $5. However, fees for pesticides containing dioxins, dioxin precursors or products that require special packing on site may require higher fees. Registration of intended chemicals is important, and so is pre-packaging. The MDA site requests participants to “please be specific about products being disposed on your registration and be prepared for products to be inspected at the site.”
Interested parties must go online to the MDA’s website and register their intent to dispose. They will need to register how much they will be bringing and will receive a certification notice that shows they have registered. This will be their pass to drop their chemicals off. Davis explained that the registration allows the MDA to be prepared for how much they will be receiving and keeps them from having to turn people away.
Participants will stay in their vehicles and the MDA will do the rest, on location. Once registered, the location will be revealed to registrants. There is no same day drop off, and the deadline for registering is Sept. 14, by end of day. However, according to Davis, any questions on registration including dates and processes can be directed to her. Parties can call her at (406) 465-0531.
Every year, the MDA picks four to five locations within a selected district. This year in the Bitterroot, they have selected Hamilton, which will host the event Sept. 20. Other opportunities and locations are available to Western Montana District residents who cannot make it to the one in Hamilton, including events at Kalispell on Sept. 19, Helena Sept. 21 and Three Forks on Sept. 22.
The events start at 8 a.m. and go until they run out of registrants. Participants are scheduled every 15 minutes through their registration, which will tell them the time they need to be there.
The event takes pesticides/herbicides only, no paints, solvents, oils or other chemicals. The program is meant to keep these chemicals out of landfills. It was started in 1994 and since then has helped dispose of over 800,000 pounds of chemical waste.
Davis said that she has been with the program since 2010 and believes this is a fantastic opportunity, as professional disposal can cost a significant amount of money.
For more information, interested persons can call Davis at the number listed above, or visit https://agr.mt.gov/pesticide-waste-disposal-program on the MDA website.