Central ND News

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced that Project Safe Send will be accepting unusable pesticides at 12 locations across North Dakota in July. The program, which has been running for 33 years, provides a safe and legal way to dispose of old or banned pesticides at no cost.

“Over the past 33 years, thousands of people have brought more than 6.4 million pounds of chemicals to Project Safe Send,” Goehring stated. “It is a safe, simple and non-regulatory program that helps people safely and legally get rid of unusable pesticides at no charge.”

Project Safe Send accepts various types of pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, and fungicides. It is funded by product registration fees from pesticide manufacturers.

Goehring advised participants to inspect their storage areas for any unusable pesticides and prepare them for disposal. “Check your storage areas for any unusable pesticides and safely set them aside for Project Safe Send,” he said. He also provided guidance on handling deteriorating or leaking containers: “If the containers are deteriorating or leaking, pack them in larger containers with absorbent materials.” The North Dakota Department of Agriculture offers free heavy-duty plastic bags if needed.

Participants with more than 1,000 pounds of pesticides are required to pre-register. Each participant can bring up to 5,000 pounds of pesticides and is limited to one shuttle. Pesticide distributors and agronomy centers can bring up to 3,000 pounds and must pre-register if they intend to reach this limit.

For pre-registration or additional information, Lilliann Johnston can be contacted at the North Dakota Department of Agriculture via phone at 701-328-2980 or email at lfjohnston@nd.gov.

The collection events will take place from 8 a.m. to noon local time at designated North Dakota Department of Transportation facilities in several cities from July 8 through July 23.