IDOA schedules Clean Sweep collection in Central Illinois
Program will safely dispose of unwanted agricultural pesticides

[May 13, 2014]  SPRINGFIELD - Residents of eight central Illinois counties can dispose of unwanted agrichemicals for free this year through the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Pesticide Clean Sweep program.

A Clean Sweep collection has been scheduled in late summer for Tazewell, Mason, Menard, Sangamon, Logan, DeWitt, Macon and Piatt counties, the department announced today. The collection, which rotates among Illinois counties, is open to farmers, retired farmers, nursery owners, private pesticide applicators, structural pest control applicators and landowners who inherited unwanted agricultural pesticides with their property.

“There are two, big reasons to take advantage of this program,” Warren Goetsch, Bureau Chief of Environmental Programs, said. “First, it’s free. If individuals were to properly dispose of agrichemicals on their own, the cost would be expensive. But the department is able to provide the service free of charge thanks to a grant it obtained from the U.S. EPA. Second, the state of Illinois, not the program participant, will assume liability for the proper disposal of all materials collected.”

Participants must register the products they plan to dispose of by July 14. Registration is required to give the waste disposal contractor time to prepare for the different kinds of materials that will need to be handled. Forms can be obtained either by calling the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Hotline at 1-800-641-3934 or visiting one of the program sponsors listed below.

Completed forms should be mailed or faxed to the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The mailing address is: Clean Sweep Program, Illinois Department of Agriculture, State Fairgrounds, P.O. Box 19281, Springfield, IL, 62794-9281. The fax number is [phone].

Participants then will be sent a reservation card indicating the date, time and location of their collection.

[Text received; JEFF SQUIBB, ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE]

	Clean Sweep Sponsors
University of Illinois Extension 3351 N. President Howard Brown Blvd. Decatur, IL 62521	University of Illinois Extension 1505 Valle Vista Pekin, IL 61554	University of Illinois Extension 700 S. Airport Drive Springfield, IL 62707
Mason County Farm Bureau 127 S. High St. Havana, IL 62644	Menard County Farm Bureau 101 E. Jefferson P.O. Box 258 Petersburg, IL 62675	Sangamon County Farm Bureau 2631 Beechler Court Springfield, IL 62703
DeWittt County Farm Bureau 1060 Rte. 54 Clinton, IL 61727	Macon County Farm Bureau 1150 W. Pershing Rd. Decatur, IL 62526	Piatt County Farm Bureau 427 W. Marion St. Monticello, IL 61856
Macon County SWCD 4004 College Park Road Decatur, IL 62521	DeWitt County SWCD 5920 Revere Road Clinton, IL 61727	Tazewell County SWCD 1440 Valle Vista Blvd. Suite B Pekin, IL 61554
Tazewell County Farm Bureau 1505 Valle Vista Blvd. Pekin, IL 61554	Logan County Farm Bureau 308 N. Union St. Lincoln, IL 62656	Piatt County SWCD 1209 Bear Lane Monticello, IL 61856
Mason County SWCD 930 East Laurel Avenue Havana, IL 62655	Menard County SWCD 17781 Village Green Road Petersburg, IL 62675	Sangamon County SWCD 2623 Sunrise Drive, Suite 1 Springfield, IL 62703
	Logan County SWCD 1650 5th Street Road Lincoln, IL 62656