Plastic Pesticide Container Recycling Program
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The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will accept and recycle your clean, plastic CPP containers through its PPCR program. This program is available to all pesticide users. In order to participate in the program, applicators must insure that all containers are free of all products, inside and outside. Pressure rinsing or triple rinsing is required. All label booklets, plastic sleeves and caps should be removed and discarded. Only #2 HDPE plastic containers from EPA registered agricultural, structural, turf, forestry, and specialty pest control products, as well as containers from crop oils, surfactants, and fertilizers will be accepted.
Collected containers are granulated into chips and recycled as part of a program sponsored by the Agricultural Container Research Council. A wide array of end uses for recycled HDPE are being developed, including fence posts, pallets, speed bumps, marine pilings, and field drain tiles. Visit the ACRC web site for more information.
Plastic pesticide container recycling benefits PA pesticide applicators, farm managers, and the general public in many ways:
- Rinsing all pesticide into their spray tank, applicators get maximum product for their money
- Recycled containers reduce unsightly clutter and provide for needed landfill space
- Recycled containers do not contaminate the air or groundwater by being burned or buried
Public Recycling Locations
Choose your Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Region below to see a list of all the recycling sites in your region. These sites are located at chemical dealers and commercial application businesses. More locations will be added as the program expands throughout the entire state.
Each PPCR Partner site has received instructions concerning CPP container acceptance requirements. They have been instructed to reject all containers that do not meet certain criteria. Please abide by the following guidelines to assure the acceptance of your CPP containers.
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Guidelines for Participation in the PPCR Program
- ALL CONTAINERS MUST BE TRIPLE RINSED AND FREE OF ALL PESTICIDE RESIDUE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. Rinsing is easiest when done during mixing, and rinse nozzles (if available) are most effective when placed into the wide side of an upturned container. Inspect the containers immediately after rinsing to be sure all the product has been removed (especially the spout and handle areas). All containers need to be thoroughly triple- or pressure-rinsed including crop oils, adjuvants, surfactants, foaming and anti-foaming agents, marker dyes, masking agents, etc. The containers must be empty, dry, and not cut up or crushed. Staining is acceptable provided the container is free of all pesticide residues.
- All lids and label booklets must be discarded. The booklets are contaminants in the recycling process and the lids are made from a different, non-recyclable plastic. That portion of the label which is glued to the container is acceptable.
- Applicators may contribute containers during business hours only, preferably each time the applicator restocks with new materials. Check with the PPCR Partner site to obtain their hours before going. DO NOT leave your containers at the site after hours. Please try to avoid saving a large number of containers before recycling them.
- Recyclable pesticide containers include:
- All #2 HDPE plastic crop protection product containers
- Plastic CPP drums and barrels up to 55 gal. (cut in half, then quartered*)
- Plastic spray tank (cut into 18 wide pieces and free of any hardware*)
* Cutting drums and tanks in this manner facilitates proper cleaning and inspection, reduces storage area, and allows for direct feed into the granulation machine.
The PPCR Partner collection sites are very generous in offering this value-added service to you, so please contribute only clean, rinsed containers. These people have a business to run, and too much time spent rejecting containers could lead to the loss of the site as a collection location.
How to Triple-Rinse Your Containers
- Shake vigorously and empty contents of container into spray tank, turning the container so that any product trapped in the handle is allowed to flow out. Once flow is down to a drip, allow the container to drain for an additional 30 seconds.
- Immediate begin rinsing procedures or the product may become difficult to remove.
- Fill container 1/4 full of water.
- Replace the cap on the container. With the container opening facing left, shake the container left to right over a distance of four to six inches. Shake the container about twice per second for 30 seconds.
- Drain rinse water into spray tank as previously described.
- Fill the container 1/4 full of water a second time.
- Recap the container. With the opening of the container pointed towards the ground, shake the container as described before. Then drain the rinse water into the spray tank.
- Finally, fill the container 1/4 full of water once more with clean water.
- Recap the container. With the opening of the container in the normal upright position, shake the container as you did before, 30 seconds with a four to six inch vertical motion, twice per second.
- Pour the rinse water into the spray tank. Carefully rinse the outside of the container.
- Remove foil seal and label booklet.
- Recycle the container!
How to Pressure-Rinse Your Containers
- Shake vigorously and empty contents of container into spray tank, turning the container so that any product trapped in the handle is allowed to flow out. Once flow is down to a drip, allow the container to drain for an additional 30 seconds.
- Immediately begin rinsing procedures or the product may become difficult to remove.
- Hold the container so the opening can drain into the spray tank.
- Connect the rinse nozzle to a clean water source of at least 40 psi.
- Upturn the CPP container over the mouth of the spray tank. Force the tip of the nozzle through the wide side of the container and rinse by turning the nozzle inside the container to assure good coverage of all sides, including the handle.
- Rinse for at least 30 seconds and until the rinse water is clear.
- Make sure container has drained completely into the spray tank.
- Remove foil seal and label booklet.
- Recycle the container!
For More Information
For more information on the Plastic Pesticide Container Recycling Program, or for an updated list of PPCR Partner collection sites, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture: Don Gilbert at 717-705-5858 or Vance Wagner at 717-772-5210, your PDA Regional Office, or call your county Penn State Cooperative Extension office. If your area is not currently included in this program, contact your pesticide dealer, county agent, or PDA regional office and encourage them to promote container recycling in your county. For additional information on the recycling process including pictures of acceptable vs. non-acceptable containers, visit the USAg Recycling, Inc. web site.
Thank you for participating in this important program. It is sure to have a very positive environmental impact on this and future generations.