Farmers in British Columbia are invited to safely dispose of their obsolete pesticides and livestock medications

VANCOUVER, Oct. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - Farmers from the Interior, Okanagan and Kootenay regions of British Columbia are invited to safely and responsibly dispose of their unwanted or obsolete pesticides and livestock (including equine) medications from October 20-23 in the Interior and Okanagan regions and November 4-5 in the Kootenay region.

CleanFARMS, an industry-led, national not-for-profit agricultural waste management organization, in partnership with the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI), is offering this program at no cost to farmers.

"We are pleased with the success of our collection programs in the past," said Barry Friesen, general manager of CleanFARMS. "It's clear that British Columbia farmers are committed to the environment and to doing the right thing."

Farmers in British Columbia have a long history of good stewardship practices. Since 1998, B.C. farmers have turned in 300,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides, including more than 19,000 kilograms collected in the Fraser Valley and Vancouver last year. This year, CleanFARMS will once again be collecting livestock and equine medications in B.C.

"The British Columbia Agriculture Council (BCAC) appreciates the opportunity for B.C. farmers to safely return unused products through an industry-led program," said Reg Enns, executive director of the BCAC. "The future of farming relies on a clean and sustainable environment."

After collection, the pesticides and medications are taken to a licensed waste management facility where they are disposed of through high temperature incineration.

The following locations will be accepting obsolete pesticides and livestock/equine medications from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the dates specified:

Interior Region

• October 20: Glen Dale Agra Services in Vanderhoof at 1055 Hwy 16 W
• October 21: 153 Mile Fertilizer in Williams Lake at 5101 Frizzi Road
• October 22: Foothills Regional Landfill in Prince George at 6595 Foothills Boulevard
• October 23: Quesnel Agro in Quesnel at 1280 Quesnel-Hixon Road

Okanagan Region

• October 20: Purity Feed Ltd in Kamloops at 471 Okanagan Way
• October 21: Growers Supply Company Ltd in Vernon at 1200 Waddington Drive
• October 22: Growers Supply Company Ltd in Kelowna at 2605 Acland Road
• October 23: Growers Supply Company Ltd in Oliver at 5911 Sawmill Road

Kootenay Region

• November 4: Truscott Farms in Creston at 3016 Hwy 3
• November 5: Trop Crop Garden, Farm and Pet in Cranbrook at 2101 Cranbrook Street N

The obsolete pesticide and livestock/equine medication collection program is a national program that comes to each province on a three-year rotating basis. In between collections periods, farmers are asked to safely store their unwanted pesticides and livestock medications until they can properly dispose of them through the program.

SOURCE CleanFARMS Inc.

For media inquiries please contact: Erin O'Hara, Media Relations, [email protected], 613-230-9881 x3223