The obsolete collection program is part of the plant science and animal health industry's commitment to the responsible lifecycle management of their products.
Cleanfarms, which operates the program, is a national, industry-led agricultural waste stewardship organization. Collections took place at six participating ag-retail and municipal locations throughout the Vancouver Island and Fraser Valley regions of the province from October 3-19, 2017.
This marked the second time that a combined collection of pesticides and livestock medications has been offered in this region of British Columbia. Cleanfarms partnered with the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI) to add the collection of livestock and equine medications to its existing obsolete pesticide collection program in 2014.
"The Canadian Animal Health Institute members are demonstrating their on-going commitment to safely managing animal medications throughout their lifecycle," says Jean Szkotnicki, president of CAHI. "We are pleased to be able to continue partnering with Cleanfarms in providing a valued service to British Columbia's livestock and equine community."
British Columbia farmers have a long history of good stewardship practices and have been participating in the obsolete collections program since 1999, which is a testament to their environmental commitment. The program was previously available in British Columbia in 2014/2015 where more than 43,000 kilograms of product was collected province wide from farmers and safely disposed of.
"This year's collection was a great success thanks to the commitment of British Columbia farmers and participating collection sites," says Barry Friesen, general manager of Cleanfarms. "We're proud to offer collection programs that ensure unwanted and obsolete pesticides, as well as livestock and equine medications, can be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way."
The obsolete collection program is generally delivered in each province or region of the country every three years and comes at no cost to farmers. The program will be delivered in the Okanagan, Kootenay and Interior regions of the province in the fall of 2018. In between collections, farmers are encouraged to safely store their unwanted pesticides and livestock medications until they can properly dispose of them through the program.
Source : CleanFARMS Inc.