D&M Chem, owned and operated by Dee and Mathias Gargus, and Northwest Ag Plastics, operators of the Washington Pest Consultant Association (WaPCA) container recycling program, have recently formed a partnership to collect clean, empty plastic pesticide containers and store the containers at a D&M Chem facilities in Moxee and Cowiche.
The recycling program has operated in Washington State for the past seven
years as a service by WaPCA. The association recently entered into an agreement
with NW AG Plastics to manage the program, because it has grown beyond the
capacity of the part-time association board. One of the many challenges
the program has faced is finding a location for container storage. It has
been a common but illegal practice in the state to burn plastic containers.
Growers and dealers realize that recycling the plastic pesticide containers
is the best alternative, but finding storage has been difficult. D&M
Chem is the first dealer to offer the service in Washington state. It is
hoped that other dealers will begin to provide this service to their growers.
For more information about the WaPCA Recycling Program and how to set up
a site at your dealership, please contact Clarke Brown at 509-965-6809 or
Roger Ours at NW AG Plastics, (509) 930-6950.
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