The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in cooperation with the Virginia Pesticide Control Board and Virginia Cooperative Extension, completed the 2009 Pesticide Disposal Program last month at nine collection sites in Central and Eastern Virginia.

VDACS collected and disposed of 94,259 pounds of unwanted, outdated and banned pesticides from farmers, pesticide dealers and pest control firms in 33 localities, plus 1,247 pounds of household pesticides.

“This is the third year that the state has collected pesticides from homeowners along with those from farmers and pesticide firms,” says Todd P. Haymore, VDACS Commissioner. “When you add the commercial and household materials together, that gave us a total of 95,506 pounds collected this year.”

The Virginia Pesticide Disposal Program is funded through pesticide fees collected by VDACS’ Office of Pesticide Services and is free to participants.

Throughout the 19 years of the program’s history, VDACS has collected and destroyed more than 1.5 million pounds of pesticides. Virginia was among the first states to hit the million pound mark in pesticides disposed

The 2010 Pesticide Disposal Program will be conducted in Northern Virginia and the Northern Neck in the following localities: Counties of Arlington, Caroline, Essex, Fairfax, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Loudoun, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Westmoreland, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Manassas Park. Farmers, pest control operators or pesticide dealers should contact their local Extension agent if they wish to participate.