Plant Industries
Serving the citizens of Arkansas and the agricultural and business communities by providing information and unbiased enforcement of laws and regulations set by the Arkansas State Plant Board
Agriculture / Plant Industries / Pesticide Section / Abandoned Pesticide Program
Abandoned Pesticide Program
- 2023 Abandoned Pesticide State-Wide Collection Schedule
- 2023 Abandoned Pesticide Collection Spring Location Schedule
- SB608 Act 1130 AN ACT TO AMEND THE ABANDONED AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDE DISPOSAL ACT
- Inventory Form
- Pesticide Disposal Informational Flyer
- Safely Transport Pesticide Waste Flyer
The Arkansas Agricultural Abandoned Pesticide Program was developed as a way for farmers to safely and properly dispose of old or unwanted pesticides. Since 2005, the Agricultural Abandoned Pesticide Program has overseen the collection of 5.8 million pounds of unwanted pesticides in counties across Arkansas. Participation in collection events is free and anonymous to farmers and other non-industrial landowners.
This program is conducted in cooperation with the State Plant Board, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, the Arkansas Farm Bureau, the Natural Resources Division, and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. Representatives from these agencies make up the Abandoned Pesticide Advisory Board.
The Abandoned Pesticide Advisory Board selects ten counties per year with the goal of holding at least one collection event in every county in Arkansas. The Advisory Board uses priority watersheds as a guiding principle when selecting counties for pesticide collections. The current Abandoned Pesticide Advisory Board members are: Susie Nichols, Brandy Carroll, Kevin McGaughey, Stephen Ratley, and Ples Spradley.
Pesticide collections began in 2005 in Northeast Arkansas targeting the Mississippi River Delta area of Eastern Arkansas. By the spring of 2009, at least one collection had been held in each county in Eastern Arkansas. Pesticide collections are paid for by the pesticide manufacturers through a fee added to the registration of each agricultural pesticide registered in Arkansas. There is no cost to the farmer and it is completely anonymous for those who wish to participate.