B.C. farmers return more than 28,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides and livestock medications

VANCOUVER, March 17, 2016 /CNW/ - Farmers in British Columbia turned in 27,672 kilograms of obsolete and unwanted pesticides, and 349 kilograms of livestock and equine medications through CleanFARMS' obsolete collection campaign in 2015.

Collections took place at 10 participating ag-retail and municipal locations in the Okanagan, Kootenay and Interior regions of the province from October 20 – November 5, 2015. This is the fourth collection program CleanFARMS, a national, industry-led waste stewardship organization, has run in the province.

This marked the first time that a combined collection of pesticides and livestock medications has been offered in these regions of B.C. CleanFARMS partnered with the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI) to add the collection of livestock and equine medications to CleanFARMS' existing program.

"Farmers are keen to responsibly manage waste on their farms. This program gives them the opportunity to safely and responsibly return unused products. The British Columbia Agricultural Council (BCAC) is proud to support this industry-led program that supports sustainable agriculture," said Stan Vander Waal, chair of BCAC.

Farmers in B.C. have a long history of good stewardship practices. Since 1998, B.C. farmers have turned in more than 254,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides – which is a testament to their environmental commitment.

"This year's collection was a great success thanks to the commitment of B.C. farmers and participating collection sites," said Barry Friesen, CleanFARMS' general manager. "B.C. farmers' continued dedication to the obsolete collections program proves their commitment to protecting the environment and making responsible decisions on the farm."

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 Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island regions of B.C. in the fall of 2017. 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.

The obsolete collection program is part of the plant science and animal health industry's commitment to the responsible lifecycle management of their products.

For more information, please visit www.cleanfarms.ca.

SOURCE CleanFARMS Inc.

Jillian Bender, media relations, [phone] x 3228, [email protected]