TECH

Oregon targets forgotten pesticides

Tracy Loew
Statesman Journal

More than 84,000 pounds of unused, outdated, and even banned pesticide products were collected from commercial users this year at five events around Oregon sponsored by the state Pesticide Stewardship Partnership program.

"A lot of these pesticides we collect have been sitting around for years, usually in a farmer's barn," said Steve Riley, pesticide stewardship specialist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

"We picked up DDT, lead arsenate, and some really old pesticides that are still on the market, but you can tell were purchased years ago," Riley said. "At one event, we picked up 10 bags of a pesticide produced by a company that has been out of business for more than 20 years."

In all, 141 participants delivered 84,067 pounds of pesticide waste and more than 4,800 pounds of triple-rinsed plastic pesticide containers for recycling.

Some of the products turned in during the events are considered "legacy pesticides" with half-lives that can extend decades. They have the potential to contaminate groundwater and surface water, potentially exposing humans and pets.

"The longer these things stay in the containers, the riskier it is," Riley said.

Just this month in Salem, a pair of dog-walkers stumbled upon several 30-gallon drums of Dow Chemical herbicide near a pond at Minto-Brown Island Park.

The barrels were decades old and likely were a relic of the park's former farming use, Salem parks superintendent Keith Keever said. They appeared to be empty.

Dedicated state funds pay for part of the pesticide program, while partners such as soil and water conservation districts, watershed councils and Oregon State University Extension have helped organize events.

Private companies also have kicked in. In McMinnville, for example, Wilco offered its facility for an event this month, collecting nearly half the total pesticide products turned in statewide this year.

More pesticide collection events are planned for next year.

tloew@statesmanjournal.com, (503) 399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/SJWatchdog