Clean Sweep Programs - US Environmental Protection Agency

Summary of Maine Waste Pesticide Disposal ProgramThe Board of Pesticides Control (BPC) is the state lead agency for pesticides and has beeninvolved in various types of collection programs since 1982. In the early years, the BPC had a five tontruck and its employees went to farms and homes to collect pesticides whenever a citizen called. Thechemicals were then stored until funds were available to hire a contractor to dispose of them at licensed outof-statefacilities. The largest effort occurred in 1989 when there was a one-time legislative appropriation of$100,000 that resulted in the disposal of 22 tons of primarily agricultural pesticides.Since 1996, the BPC has utilized federal pesticide grant funds to conduct a joint collection programwith the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Each year, a hazardous materials contractor ishired to be present for one day at each of four regional sites. Homeowners, non-corporate farmers andgreenhouse operators can participate free of charge and must submit an inventory form in advance to theBPC. When the week of collections is scheduled, shipping papers are mailed to each participant listing thepesticides they may bring in on the specified date. The program is limited to obsolete pesticides, defined asbanned pesticides, and products that have become caked, frozen or are liquids more than 10 years old.Pesticides that can be used legally are generally not accepted although chlorpyrifos products with residentialuses will be accepted in the 2000 program.Maine Table 1 - Quantity of Pesticides CollectedYearQuantity ofPesticides(pounds)Number ofParticipantsAverage Quantity ofPesticides perParticipant(pounds/participant)ProgramCostAverageCost(perpound)1982 12,000 no data NA no data NA1984 18,000 no data NA no data NA1986 12,000 93 129 no data NA1989 44,000 173 254 no data NA1996 6,900 100 69 no data NA1997 9,025 139 65 no data NA1998 8,000 65 123 $15,280 $1.911999 7,062 39 181 $9,180 $1.302000 3,222 48 67 $15,000 $4.66TOTAL 120,209 more than 657 137 beginning in 1986 NA NANA = not applicable