The seemingly impossible task of removing dangerous chemicals from our
environment has been taken up by the Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality (ODEQ). And the results have been impressive.

In June, a pesticide collection in Clackamas County collected 19,500 pounds of
old, unusable, or restricted pesticides, according to Clackamas Soil and Water
Conservation District Program Manager Lisa Kilders.

“Surprisingly, the quantities collected at these events remain steady,” Kilders
wrote in an email to The Mountain Times. “Since 2007, the total quantity of
pesticides collected at events held in Clackamas County equals 151,915
pounds. That is just slightly less than 76 tons.”

Agricultural, commercial, and institutional pesticide users took advantage of
the opportunity to get rid of their chemicals at no cost to them.

Without the ODEQ event, many pesticides would remain, creating the
possibility of spreading chemicals into the environment. Kilders pointed out
that these chemicals exist for many reasons, such as some land owners
inherited old pesticides when a farming operation closed down, while others
discovered stores of chemicals when they purchased a business or property.
Also, with the passage of time, some chemicals have become restricted or
expire and can no longer be applied.

The free event allows farmers the chance to responsibly get rid of old
pesticides instead of mixing them and needlessly spraying them somewhere
just to get rid of the product.

The pesticide collection events, held across Oregon, are funded generally from
grants, as was the case with the June event in Molalla. The event is successful
because of partners working together. The city of Molalla opened Bolander
Field, outreach and advertising were provided by the Clackamas and Marion
Soil and Water Conservation Districts. ODEQ handled disposal funds and
coordinated with Clean Harbors, the disposal company.

Protecting water quality is a team effort, Kilders noted.