The Washington Daily News

 

April 15, residents of Beaufort County and surrounding counties were invited to dump their unwanted, unused and outdated pesticides at the Beaufort County Cooperative Extension Office during a pesticide collection day.

“Our Pesticide Collection Day here at the Beaufort County Cooperative Extension Office on April 15th was a huge success,” wrote Rod Gurganus, county extension director, in an email. “We collected 10,009 pounds of unwanted pesticides for disposal.”

Gurganus reminded people that the option to dispose of pesticides safely is available to residents.

“When talking to your friends and neighbors, especially those who don’t farm, be sure to tell them about this and our efforts to recycle pesticide containers.  It never hurts to point out the efforts you are making as good stewards of the environment,” Gurganus said.

In 1976, the North Carolina Pesticide Board adopted regulations making it illegal to dispose of pesticides in North Carolina landfills. As a result, the NCDA&CS created the Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program (PDAP) through appropriations from the North Carolina General Assembly — the very first program of its kind in the nation. Since its inception in 1980, the PDAP has properly collected and disposed of over 3 million pounds of pesticides from North Carolina residents. With the partnership of the NC Cooperative Extension Service, the PDAP supervises the collection and disposal of about 140,000 pounds of pesticides each year.