More than 18,000 litres of obsolete agvet chemicals will be safely collected and disposed of when the ChemClear program returns to Western Australia in June.
The team from ChemClear will be on the road from mid-June and will spend about 3 weeks safely collecting and disposing of unused agvet chemicals from more than 100 registered participants.
ChemClear’s National Program Manager Lisa Nixon says the program helps ensure chemicals are properly disposed of.
“We established the program around 13 years ago and since then we’ve completed 3 state collections and 3 regional collections across WA. We’ve collected more than 61 tonnes of unused agvet chemicals from the region.
“It’s been four years since the last state wide campaign and this time around we’re set to collect more than 18,000 litres of unwanted chemicals,” she says.
The ChemClear team collaborates with local councils to arrange centrally-located collection sites for registered participants.
“It is a great opportunity to clear your property of hazardous chemicals and dispose of them in a responsible and environmentally-friendly way,” Lisa says.
People who are bringing chemicals to the collection site must ensure they transport them safely.
“We use the mantra ‘Ute it don’t boot it’. Always transport chemicals in the back of a ute or truck. Do not place them in the boot of a car or in the back of a station wagon,” Lisa says.
Lisa also offers these rules for transporting chemicals:
- Any incompatible chemicals should be packaged individually and separated from each other during transportation
- Do not transport pesticides with food, animal feed or consumer goods
- Check all containers for leakage
- Do not expose containers to excessive moisture or heat
- Always wear protective clothing when handling chemicals
Pre-registration for this collection round closed in late April, For those who are interested in registering for the next collection please visit chemclear.com.au for more information, or, contact ChemClear on 1800 008 182 to register.
ChemClear is Australia’s only Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program operating for obsolete agvet chemicals and works in conjunction with the drumMUSTER program which recycles empty cleaned agvet chemical containers.