• Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series of stories written by Kane County Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland and Kane County Environmental & Water Resources Intern Claire Eaton, a sophomore at University of Illinois Springfield. Got a question or idea for a recycling tip? Contact Jarland at 630-208-3841 or recycle@countyofkane.org.

Pesticides are a necessity when it comes to agriculture that helps to protect crops and reduce loss.

The United States Department of Agriculture says that 97% of all planted acres of corn in 2018 and 99% of all planted acres of soybeans were sprayed with herbicides.

When fields are sprayed, the herbicides are heavily diluted and do not pose a threat to the crops. It is a safe process heavily regulated by the EPA that has been deemed safer than ever.

The risk is present to the farmers that handle the undiluted chemicals, which are considered to be more of a threat. However, they take serious precautions and do not handle these pesticides without a concern for safety.

When finished with these products, there are often containers left over that should not enter landfills or the regular stream of recycling, and should especially not be disposed of by burning.

These concentrated chemicals pose a threat to groundwater if placed in a landfill, and in the regular recycling stream could contaminate other products.

Luckily, there is an alternative to these options. In Illinois, the Illinois Department of Agriculture sponsors free container recycling throughout the state.

Sites statewide will collect these containers and recycle them into items such as “shipping pallets, plastic lumber, and other useful products.”

This is a great opportunity to recycle these containers right in Kane County!

Kane County Collection 

• When: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28
• Where: CHS Inc. 374 Meredith Road, Maple Park, IL 60151
• Contact: Dave Kleckner at 630-365-5027

Guidelines for Recycling Plastic Pesticide Containers

• Protection: Always wear protective clothing while rinsing containers.
• ​Empty: Completely empty the pesticide container.
• Clean: Triple rinse or pressure rinse the container immediately after use to prevent drying/ caking of formulation residues.
• Inspect: Inspect the container inside and around the spout threads to ensure that it is free of formulation residues. Clean, but stained (e.g., due to Treflan) containers are acceptable.
• Remove: Discard the cap, foil seal, and label from the container since they will not be accepted for recycling.
• Puncture: Render the container unusable by puncturing it.
• Type: Only containers made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) #2 plastic are acceptable for recycling.
• Keep Container Dry: The recycler will not accept a container with liquid in it. Keep containers out of the rain.