Agriculture Department to host pesticide collection on Kauai

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Pesticides Branch is running a free pesticide disposal program on Kauai for commercial users of pesticides, the HDOA announced Saturday.

The project, known as the Pesticides Disposal Program, will allow commercial operations like farms, licensed pest control operators, certified pesticide applicators, and state and county agencies, to “safely dispose of canceled, suspended, unwanted or unlabeled pesticides,” according to the release.

“The proper disposal of pesticides is often a serious problem for many farmers, ranchers and companies that use pesticides in Hawaii,” Hawaii Board of Agriculture chairperson Sharon Hurd said in the release. “Normally, businesses would have to pay for proper pesticide disposal, so we strongly encourage Kauai businesses to take advantage of this free service.”

Household pesticides will not be accepted through this program. Those interested in disposing of household pesticides should contact the County of Kauai Recycling Office for more information.

The collection will take place Jan. 27 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Kauai. Advance registration is required by Jan. 4 at 4:30 p.m., and can be done at HDOA’s website. The exact location of the collection will be announced only to registered participants.

The PDP is a statewide project – collection was conducted on Oahu in September, where over 30 companies disposed of approximately 7,700 pounds of pesticides, and are currently ongoing on Maui.

More information on the program, including the list of acceptable and unacceptable pesticides, a frequently asked questions and the registration form, can be found on HDOA’s website. Questions should be directed to EnviroServices & Training Center LLC either by phone at 808-456-3494 or via email at wm@gotoetc.com.