MDA to offer free waste pesticide collections in northwest Minnesota counties

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is hosting a series of free waste pesticide collections available to eleven northwestern Minnesota counties. Residents from Beltrami, Cass, Clay, Clearwater, Lake of the Woods, Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau counties may attend any of the four collection sites in mid-August.

The program accepts unwanted, unusable agricultural and consumer type pesticides including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and rodenticides. However, crop oils, adjuvants, pesticide rinsate, fertilizer, treated seed, contaminated soil and empty pesticide containers will not be accepted. The collections are open to farmers, homeowners, commercial pesticide applicators, golf courses, lawn care companies, structural pest control operators and other pesticide users. No pre-registration for MDA events is required.

The MDA collections will be held at the following locations and times:

August 16 Rothsay Farmers Coop, 15551 Hwy 9 S, Barnesville 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

August 17 CHS Ag Service, 33388 190th Ave SE, Erskine 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

August 17 CHS Ag Service, 420 South Main, Warren 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

August 18 CHS Northwest Grain, 314 1st Street N, Greenbush 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Residents of other counties may attend but have opportunities for free disposal through their county Household Hazardous Waste facilities.

Collection sites will accept up to 300 pounds of eligible product at no cost. The MDA requests that citizens call 651-201-6562 to provide advance notification if they wish to drop off more than 300 pounds of product.

The MDA Waste Pesticide Collection Program has helped Minnesotans safety dispose of seven million pounds of unusable and unwanted pesticides since the program started in 1990.