05/10/05 State to collect unusable pesticides

Producers, dealers, applicators and homeowners too can dispose of unusable pesticides this month. The Idaho Department of Agriculture's Vic Mason is more than happy to take it off your hands. MASON "We'll be able to collect and safely dispose of all pesticides which includes fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, everything with a 'cide' on it." Its free for the first one thousand pounds and there will be four collection points beginning next week. MASON "We'll start in Caldwell on May 16th and then it will go to Weiser on the 17th, Lewiston on the 18th and then we'll be in Coeur d'Alene on the 19th. And all of these collections will run from 9AM to 1PM." There's a second collection coming in September to the Magic Valley and eastern Idaho. MASON "We have safely disposed of over 600 thousand pounds of pesticides since the program started in 1993." Mason is also in charge of another program that crushes and chips plastic containers, so they can be recycled and kept out of landfills. More info on this free program at www.idaho.ag.us. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott