By Dori Modney

Cleanfarms gathering unwanted pesticides and livestock meds across Southern Alberta

Oct 13, 2021 | 10:45 AM

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — Between Oct 25–29, Cleanfarms will hold one-day collection events in 20 locations across Southern Alberta. The 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. events will accept unwanted and old agricultural pesticides and obsolete livestock, equine and farm animal medications.

The event is an effort to keep the unwanted materials out of the environment and managed for safe disposal.

The ‘Unwanted Pesticides and Old Livestock/Equine Medications’ collection program is funded by Cleanfarms, through its crop input members and a partnership with the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI). The program, which rotates through various regions across Canada every three years, is offered at no charge to farmers.

Cleanfarms is a national non-profit organization that delivers industry-funded, end-of-life stewardship programs to the agricultural sector across Canada. It works collaboratively with more than 70 members in the pesticide, fertilizer, seed, ag plastic, and animal health medication sectors, as well as partner agencies and governments to ensure that Canadian farmers can actively contribute to a healthy environment and a sustainable future.

Executive Director Barry Friesen, says farmers actually wait for the program to come back to their area.

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“We know they are eager to dispose of these old materials safely without risk to the environment. It helps them keep their farms clean and sustainable.” In the past ten years, 3.7 million kg of unwanted pesticides and 52,000 kg of obsolete farm animal (cattle, horses, goats, poultry) health medications have been collected across the country.

Since the program operates on a rotation basis across the country, the next scheduled to return to southern Alberta is in 2024, and northern Alberta in 2022. For that reason, farmers and producers are encouraged to take advantage of the event dates during the last week of October.

This year’s collection sites are (in alphabetical order):

BROOKS – Thursday, Oct. 28 – Nutrien Ag Solutions-Brooks, 403-362-2072

CARSELAND – Friday, Oct. 29 – Richardson Pioneer, 403-934-9267

CARSTAIRS – Friday, Oct. 29 – CORE Ag Inputs-Carstairs, 403-940-0472

CASTOR – Thursday, Oct. 28 – Meadowland Ag Chem Ltd., 403-882-2490

CLARESHOLM – Tuesday, Oct. 26 – UFA Claresholm Farm Store, 403-625-3337

DRUMHELLER – Friday, Oct. 29 – Kneehill Soil Services Ltd., 403-823-4600

ENCHANT – Wednesday, Oct. 27 – Nutrien Ag Solutions-Enchant, 403-739-2012

FOREMOST – Wednesday, Oct. 27 – South Country Co-op, 403-867-3200

HANNA – Monday, Oct. 25 – Fox Lake Agro Services Ltd., 403-854-2820

HIGH RIVER – Monday, Oct. 25 – South Country Co-op, 403-652-4143

HUSSAR – Monday, Oct. 25 – Richardson Pioneer-Hussar, 403-787-3931

MAGRATH – Friday, Oct. 29 – Richardson Pioneer-Magrath, 403-758-3162

MEDICINE HAT – Tuesday, Oct. 26 – Nutrien Ag Solutions-Medicine Hat, 403-526-9499

MILK RIVER – Thursday, Oct. 28 – Parrish and Heimbecker, 403-647-3633

OLDS – Thursday, Oct. 28 – Richardson Pioneer-Olds, 403-556-6606

OYEN – Tuesday, Oct. 26 – UFA Oyen Farm Store, 403-664-3611

RED DEER COUNTY – Wednesday, Oct. 27 – Central Alberta Coop Innisfail Agro, 403-227-3466

TABER – Monday, Oct. 25 – Taber Home & Farm Centre, 403-223-8948

THREE HILLS – Tuesday, Oct. 26 – Kneehill Soil Services Ltd. TH, 403-443-2355

VETERAN – Wednesday, Oct. 27 – Richardson Pioneer, 403-575-4600

Event details can be found on Cleanfarms.ca under “what to recycle & where”. COVID precautions will be in place.

What’s in and what’s out

Materials accepted in the Cleanfarms program include:

• old or unwanted agricultural pesticides (identified with a Pest Control Product number on the label);
• commercial pesticides for golf courses and industrial and commercial pest control products (identified with a Pest Control Product number on the label);
• medications that are used in rearing animals in an agricultural context or for equine use (identified with a DIN number, serial number or Pest Control Product number on the label).

The program does NOT accept:

• only partially full and opened jugs of adjuvant and surfactant will be accepted;
• fertilizer, diluted solution, large quantities of unopened product, and treated seed;
• needles/sharps, medicated feed, aerosol containers, premises disinfectants/sanitizers, veterinary clinic waste and medications, ear tags, and aerosols;
• any other household hazardous waste.