Pesticide container recycling levels hit new high for fourth straight year

In 2013 a record 9,147,600 pounds of pesticide containers were collected and recycled, according to the Ag Container Recycling Council. This represents a 2.1 percent increase over 2012. This was the third year in a row that recycling exceeded 8 million pounds. Since 1992 over 142 million pounds of pesticide containers have been collected and recycled.

California once again led the nation in 2012 with 1,723,701 pounds of containers recycled. California’s 21-year total now exceeds 23.8 million pounds. Washington, Iowa, Mississippi and Texas rounded out the Top 5 in containers recycled in 2013. Of the 42 states that comprise the ACRC program, 19 reported increases with and 23 reported decreases in total pounds recycled in 2013 compared with 2012. Hawaii was added to the ACRC program in 2013. Significant increases (greater than 35 percent) were reported for Iowa, Florida, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. These increases reflect an extraordinary effort by the ACRC contractors, as well as the regulatory agencies, agri-business associations, individual growers, pesticide applicators and ag retailers in those states.

The 2014 ACRC budget funds the collection and recycling of approximately 9.6 million pounds.