Pesticide Container Recycling Program Discontinued

The Delaware Department of Agriculture Pesticide Section has partnered with the Agriculture Container Recycle Council (ACRC) since its inception in 1993 to collect pesticide containers from Delaware participants. We appreciate your dedication to keeping these containers out of landfills. On average, Delaware has recycled 40,000 pounds of plastic annually.

Over the years, ACRC has contracted with private entities to conduct pickups of all the containers collected throughout the year. In 2021, ACRC changed the contractor assigned to the Northeast states. While we provided all participants with educational material on properly recycling pesticide containers and a jet-rinse container nozzle and foil removers to ensure proper triple rinsing, Delaware experienced container rejections last season due to visible residue in some containers. Because ACRC’s policy is “clean is clean,” all rejected containers are left at the collection facility for the Department to dispose of properly. Due to the rejection levels experienced since 2021 and the additional cost and time required by the Department to dispose of these containers, we have no choice but to cancel the pesticide container recycling program.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture will continue to promote correctly disposing of all pesticide containers. Please be reminded that containers are not allowed to be buried or burned in any way for disposal. Properly rinsed containers, with their lids and labels removed, may be disposed of in the landfill if the container is compromised by a hole or cut in the side. We can no longer provide the large poly bags used in the past.

If you wish to continue recycling the containers, contact the current vendor, Ag Plastic Solutions (Justin Geisinger, 717-658-9660), to arrange pickups and discuss your recycling needs. The Department will have no direct contact with Ag Plastic Solutions to recycle pesticide containers.

Delaware’s program has been highly successful, and the decision to discontinue this program has not been easy. We will continue to monitor the success of the Northeast states’ participation program and reevaluate our decision annually. If you have any questions, please reach out to  James.Hughes@delaware.gov or 302-698-4569.

Applicator: Exam Dates

The Department of Agriculture will be testing once every 45 days at the designated location as specified by the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

The exam dates for 2024 are as follows:

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Location: Delaware State Fairgrounds, Ag Education Bldg., 644 Fairgrounds Road, Harrington, DE 19952

Time: For TESTING arrive by 12:45 p.m. in the AG Education Building to give time for general announcements and check-in before testing begins at 1 p.m.

For Pre-Cert CORE Manual/Private Applicator REVIEW, arrive by 8:45 a.m. in the AG Education Building before the review begins at 9 a.m.

Information on the latest Pesticide applicator exam schedule, forms, and/or applications can be found on the pesticides forms and resources page.

Pesticide Advisory Committee

This Committee advises the Department on all problems relating to the sale, use, disposal, and storage of pesticides in the State.

The Pesticide Advisory Committee meeting:  June 6, 2024.