The Illinois Department of Agriculture is offering the ag community an opportunity to be good environmental stewards through its annual agrichemical container recycling program. Farmers and agrichemical facilities are encouraged to start saving their empty agrichemical containers for select recycling days that will take place later this summer throughout the state.
Collection sites will accept only high-density polyethylene, #2 plastic agrichemical containers that are clean and dry. Participants are responsible for rinsing them and removing all caps, labels, booklets and foil seals. Metal and household pesticide containers are not eligible for the recycling program.
“In 2017, we held 31 single day collection sites and collected more than 86,000 pounds of plastic from approximately 115,000 containers,” said Agriculture Director Raymond Poe. “What’s great about this program is that we can recycle those collected containers and make shipping pallets, fence posts, drainage tubing, plastic lumber and other useful products.”
The program is a cooperative venture between the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Container Recycling Council, GROWMARK, Inc., Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association, G. Phillips and Sons, L.L.C., Illinois Farm Bureau, and University of Illinois Extension.
To obtain a free brochure about the program, call the Illinois Department of Agriculture toll free at 1-800-641-3934.
The collection sites and dates for the 2018 Pesticide Container Recycling Program are as follows:
AM Site hours are 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Date/Time Location Contact
8/3 AM Grainco FS Josh Scott
LaSalle County Lostant 815-368-3215
