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Do you have any pesticide products that are out of date, no longer needed or the containers are getting in bad shape? Have you cleaned out a farm building and ran across pesticides and wondered how you can safely and economically dispose of them?

If your answer is yes, there is a “free” pesticide disposal program available for the region this Fall.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Pesticide Services, in cooperation with Virginia Cooperative Extension, offers the Pesticide Collection Program each year to various regions of the Commonwealth.

This year, the program will be available in the counties of Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Brunswick, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Cumberland, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Lunenburg, Nottoway, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, and the cities of Bedford, Danville, Lynchburg, Martinsville, and South Boston. The program historically is available every 5 years to this area due to the rotation schedule developed to reach all localities.

The Collection Program is open to agricultural producers, licensed pesticide dealers, licensed pest control firms, homeowners and golf courses. Participants must complete a pesticide disposal registration form available from your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Office or on-line at VDACS (https://www.vdacs. virginia.gov/pdf/disposalregistration.pdf) This form is necessary to allow for proper planning and to ensure only pesticide products are collected.

Pesticide contaminated material (for example, pesticide contaminated fertilizer) will not be accepted. If safe handling of the pesticides is challenged due to container condition, please contact your local Extension office or VDACS to arrange for transport containers.

Multiple collection sites have been scheduled throughout the region and the time each day will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The schedule follows:

• Sept. 27 – Farmers Cooperative, 182 Smi Way, Farmville;

• Sept. 28 – Meherrin Ag & Chemical, 1409 Vincent Store Road, Charlotte Court House;

• Oct. 3 – Nutrien Ag, 204 South Lunenburg Ave. South Hill;

• Oct. 4 – Halifax County Agriculture Marketing Center, 1001 Farmway Lane, Scottsburg;

• Oct. 5 – Piedmont Farmers Cooperative, 485 Tightsqueeze Industrial Road, Chatham;

• Oct. 11 – National Guard Armory, 315 Commonwealth Blvd. W, Martinsville.

For more information or a registration form, contact Agricultural Extension Agent, Joanne Jones at the Charlotte County Extension Office (434-542-5884) or Marlene Larios, Pesticide Program Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 804-371-6561, or Marlene. Larios@vdacs.virginia.gov.