ChemClear is here to save the day for turf growers who are crying out for help in disposing of their unregistered and unwanted agvet chemicals.
Stocks of out-of-date chemicals are piling up in sheds across the state and many don’t know what to do with them.
And with business owners increasingly required to abide by strict regulations covering OH&S and label requirements, it’s even more important to dispose of chemicals the right way.
ChemClear provides a real solution for chemical users in dealing with a build up of unwanted and out-of-date turf control products by collecting and disposing of them in an environmentally friendly way.
NSW Turf Growers President Bob Jefferies said hoarding chemicals is a real problem for turf growers because it poses a risk to their business.
“One of the problems we’ve had for many, many years was actually finding a place to take chemicals and get rid of them,” he said. “It’s been a situation that’s been around for a long, long time.”
“Farmers try to use chemicals which work and do the job without creating other problems around the place. They know they shouldn’t have them, but foremost there’s no legitimate place to get rid of them.”
ChemClear is asking farmers and other chemical users to take an inventory of their unwanted chemicals, including the manufacturer’s name, product name, container size and approximate quantity remaining in the container and contact the program to register them for collection on 1800 008 182 or on line at www.chemclear.com.au.
ChemClear National Program Manager Lisa Nixon said once the chemicals are logged with the program, reference numbers and storage stickers are provided to clients. This ensures waste holders are doing the right thing in safely storing their chemicals awaiting collection by the program.
“This covers businesses and farmers who are involved in Quality Assurance programs and auditing. As long as you can prove to your auditors that you have registered your obsolete chemicals for disposal, you should be home and hosed,” Lisa Nixon said.
ChemClear undertakes state and regional collections on a regular basis and will contact waste holders directly to tell them when and where they can drop off their chemicals to the retrieval vehicle. All registrations are confidential.
Lisa said agvet chemical users should undertake best practice and buy from member manufacturers that participate in the scheme. These companies are easily identified by thedrumMUSTER logo stamped on their label or container. Without ChemClear, chemical users would face high fees for unwanted chemical disposal later down the track.
“The best practice for buying chemicals is to make sure the product has a clear disposal pathway,” she said. “Farmers should be buying chemicals produced by manufacturers that have financially contributed that pathway.”
Under the program, agvet chemicals are collected free of charge if they are from any of the 95 manufacturers participating in thedrumMUSTER and ChemClear programs. Unlabelled agvet chemicals or products from non-participating companies are also accepted through ChemClear, but attract a per litre fee for disposal.
The ChemClear program has disposed of more than 86,570 litres of agvet chemicals in NSW. Nationally, it’s helped local communities safely dispose of more than 335,000 litres.
To register your unwanted chemicals call ChemClear’s hotline on 1800 008 182 or visit www.chemclear.com.au.
21/06/2012