Essex County Farm Bureau is pleased to report a successful Pesticide Clean-up Day. We collected 10 drums of pesticides, from 12 farmers, which added up to 2630 pounds on Wednesday September 19, 2001 at the Essex County Fairgrounds. Pesticides such as Chlordane, Lindane, 2,4-D, Methoxychor, Lead Arsenate, Proprionic Acid and Chlorine Algicides were collected and recorded. They were disposed of in an environmentally correct process under a DEC permit.
We worked with Tom Shaw of Clean Harbors, Scott Mauran of the Essex County Fair Office, Richard Meyer the Essex County Attorney, and Dave Winchell of NYS DEC to obtain the permit for the clean up day and the insurance coverage. Cornell Cooperative Extension offered Pesticide Applicator Training on cleaning up and disposing of pesticides. Forty farmers and pesticide applicators participated in this program. Each of the participants received a written reminder in the mail about using gloves and wrapping the items in protective wrap.
Although the promotional campaign was extensive, with newsletter articles, news releases to 9 area newspapers, posters and letters to all full time farmers in Essex County, just twenty people contacted us and 12 came to the Clean-up Day. Some people had regular household hazardous waste and some had industrial waste that was not pesticide related, so had to be turned away. The principle waste turned away was mercury from thermometers and various paints.