Prairie State Wire

Residents in 11 counties across Illinois will have the opportunity to dispose of unwanted agrichemicals without charge, courtesy of the Illinois Department of Agriculture's (IDOA) "Clean Sweep" program. The scheduled collection will take place in late summer and includes Bureau, Carroll, Henry, JoDaviess, Lasalle, Lee, Ogle, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago Counties.

The initiative is designed for farmers and other agricultural stakeholders such as retired farmers and nursery owners. Brad Beaver, Bureau Chief of Environmental Programs at IDOA highlighted two main benefits of participating: "The Department is able to provide the service free of charge thanks to a grant obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. If individuals were to properly dispose of agrichemicals on their own, it could be expensive. Secondly, the state of Illinois, not the program participant, will assume liability for the proper disposal of all materials collected."

Participants must register by July 26 for waste management planning purposes. Registration forms can be acquired through various means including calling the IDOA Pesticide Hotline or visiting specific sponsors.

The "Clean Sweep" initiative began in 1990 and has since conducted 54 collection events statewide, amassing over 662,000 pounds of materials from more than 2,300 participants.