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Ministry of Agriculture and Lands

Safety Precautions

Pesticide and Container Disposal

Disposing of Unwanted Agricultural Pesticides

Disposing of unwanted pesticides is expensive. Minimize the amount of pesticide stored by only purchasing what can be used in a growing season.

There are four options to dispose of unwanted pesticides:

  1. Return unopened pesticide containers to the Dealer before winter.
  2. Use the pesticides according to label directions. For example, apply it to another crop specified on the label.
  3. Pay a Hazardous Waste Disposal Company to dispose of the pesticide. Contact a Hazardous Waste Company and obtain a quote for disposing of the pesticides. Companies that accept unwanted agricultural pesticides include:
    1. Safety-Kleen Ltd. 604-940-0894 or 1-800-667-8388
    2. Sumas Environmental Services 604-682-6678 or 1-866-887-8627
      Others companies may be listed under Waste in the yellow pages.

    When requesting a quote from companies for disposing of unwanted pesticides, be prepared to tell them the pesticide name, number of containers, size of containers, and approximate volume of liquid pesticides or weight of solid pesticides. Ask if you deliver the pesticide or whether they pick it up.

  4. Participate in the BC Pesticide Return. Occasionally, the government, pesticide industry and BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) coordinate special unwanted pesticide collection programs. These collections are dependent on funding and only occur every 5 or 6 years in each region of BC. Watch this site for details on the next BC Pesticide Return.
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Disposing of Unwanted Spray Mix

Avoid mixing surplus spray by carefully calculating rates, measuring field size, and calibrating your sprayer. Extra pesticide spray mixes can be collected in clean labeled containers and used as water the next time the pesticide is applied or they can be applied to another crop or site listed on the pesticide label. If no such area can be found, spray the mixture over an area on your property where it will cause no damage. Never re-spray the treated field with extra tank mix. Spraying an area twice will double the rate and may result in high residues in the crop or soil.

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Disposing of Empty Pesticide Containers

Empty pesticide containers are considered hazardous waste, by law, unless they are drained and rinsed properly. Plastic, metal and glass containers must be rinsed 3 times. The rinse water must be poured into the sprayer and applied with the pesticide. Paper and plastic bags must be rinsed once. Pressurized containers and Domestic pesticides do not need to be rinsed.

The best way to dispose of empty pesticide containers is to take them to a pesticide container collection site. Containers taken to these sites are recycled into fence posts for agricultural use, highway guardrail posts, or used for energy. Check the list of empty pesticide container collection sites in BC to find the nearest one.

If the containers cannot be taken to a collection site you are allowed to dispose of them:

  • In an approved landfill
  • Bury it, but only if:
    • The location is owned or leased by the owner of the container
    • The location is on flat ground, not on a swale, at least 200m from surface water or wells
    • The ground is not gravel, sand or other porous material and
    • It is covered with at least 0.5 m of soil immediately after burial.

Although burying pesticide containers is legal, it is better to take the containers to a landfill.

Do not burn empty pesticide containers. Burning can release toxic fumes.

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Empty Pesticide Container Collection Sites in BC

Empty pesticide containers that are less than 23 litres in size and have been triple rinsed or pressure rinsed can be taken to a pesticide collection site for recycling. The containers must be drained, dry and have the cap and pamphlet removed.

  • Please refer to the CropLife website for an up-to-date list of Pesticide Container Collection Sites in British Columbia