Ron Ahlgren demonstrates how the grinder works to shred plastic pesticide containers. The shredded material then goes to a facility for the manufacturing of drain tiles.
For those who missed the pesticide container recycling truck present at the USDA/ARS field tours at Froid and at Sidney last month but who have #2 high density polyethylene plastic pesticide containers for recycling, the Eastern Agricultural Field Day (EARC), scheduled for July 19 in Sidney, will offer participants the opportunity to recycle these containers. Ron Ahlgren, Pesticide Container Recycling Technician with the Montana Department of Agriculture, will have his truck and grinder on site. He will accept cleaned containers for recycling and will demonstrate how the shredding process works.
Ahlgren emphasizes the importance of bringing cleaned containers for recycling. “I go to sixty collection sites around the state to pick up containers, grind them, and then ship the shredded plastic to a recycler who uses the material for manufacturing drain tiles,” Ahlgren comments. “I can’t stress enough the importance of cleaned containers. If they aren’t clean, I cannot accept them.”
He continues, “It is important to prepare these containers correctly. They must be triple rinsed, the caps must be removed, and all paper taken off. Plastic 35 and 55 gallon containers must be cut into eight pieces. Cut the container in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half. Then cut the four pieces in half across the center.”
Ahlgren explains that this recycling program originated through industry demand. “This program started in response to industry itself,” Ahlgren remarks. “Dealers had a lot of empty containers on hand and didn’t know what to do with them. They contacted the Department of Agriculture and the program was born.”
He adds, “This is our third year of operation, but some states, such as Idaho, have had a pesticide recycling program for twenty years. The program was initially funded through the EPA, but now the Department of Agriculture funds it.”
Ahlgren points out that the program has direct and indirect benefits, so he encourages people to take advantage of this opportunity and recycle their containers. “This program is good for the environment,” he says. “There are economic benefits to recycling. I’ve read that it takes a third of the energy to recycle as it does to make a product from scratch, so there’s a big savings in petroleum and other energies.”
He continues, “Indirect benefits include the fact that with fewer containers in the landfill, it takes a longer period of time before the landfill has to be expanded. Expanding a landfill is a major expense for taxpayers. Garbage and waste disposal is a huge expense for a community so it makes good financial sense to recycle.”
The pesticide container recycling program has proven popular and Ahlgren expects it will continue to prove successful. “We’ve had a good response,” he remarks. “In two years we’ve collected 100,000 pounds of recycling. Last year we collected over 52,000 pounds and I expect we will collect more than that this year.”
Richland County does not yet have a permanent collection site for public use, but Ahlgren hopes this situation changes in the near future. “We’ve been trying to get a permanent site set up,” he concludes. “The Richland County Weed District has actively worked to secure a permanent public collection site, possibly located at the land fill. We are hopeful that the site becomes a reality before too long.”
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