Agricultural businesses and residents of 18 Pennsylvania counties will be able to safely and easily dispose of unwanted pesticides through the CHEMSWEEP Program in 2007 the Department of Agriculture announced this week.

CHEMSWEEP will be offered in Armstrong, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Dauphin, Forest, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Snyder, Somerset, Susquehanna, Union, Venango, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

“CHEMSWEEP helps to protect Pennsylvania’s environment, providing a safe, free and legal way to dispose of unwanted pesticides,” said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. “Since 1992, the program has helped dispose of more than 1.6 million pounds of pesticides, serving our agricultural industry and homeowners while preserving our ecosystem.”

Licensed pesticide applicators in agribusinesses and commercial enterprises from the designated counties are eligible to participate by completing the CHEMSWEEP registration/inventory form.

Participation in CHEMSWEEP is free for the first 2,000 pounds. Participants with waste pesticides exceeding 2,000 pounds will be responsible for the additional cost and will be billed by the contractor.

An independent contractor hired by the Department of Agriculture collects and packages all waste pesticides primarily for incineration at EPA-approved facilities.

CHEMSWEEP is funded through annual registration fees paid by pesticide manufacturers.

For more information, visit the CHEMSWEEP webpage.

Homeowners can utilize CHEMSWEEP by participating in the Department of Environmental Protection’s Household Hazardous Waste collection events in counties where the Department of Agriculture and the contracted waste pesticide hauler has partnered with DEP.

12/29/2006