ChemClear has begun collecting unused and out-of-date agvet chemicals in Queensland with the help of state government funding.
The ChemClear truck will travel through 35 council regions during its four week tour as part of the program’s fifth chemical collection in the state.
More than 200 waste holders registered 30,866 lt/kg of chemical for the July collection during the booking line campaign which closed on 19th April.
A total of 18,416 lt/kg will be collected for free under the program (Group 1 chemicals) with the remaining 12,450 lt/kg products (Group 2 chemicals) attracting a per litre fee for disposal.
The Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry have provided ChemClear with $11,000 in support.
This will allow waste holders who were affected by the January 2013 floods (in areas under the NDRRA Category D funding) to offload their chemicals through ChemClear for free.
The Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection have also provided $25,000 to support farmers who have registered Group 2 chemicals with a corresponding Group 1 chemical registration.
ChemClear National Program Manager Lisa Nixon said the funding will allow ChemClear to collect chemicals that usually attract a fee for disposal under the program.
These chemicals include unlabelled products, severely out of date products, mixed agvet chemicals and chemicals from non-participating manufacturers.
“The financial support of Queensland’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection will support many primary producers to secure a safe and environmental disposal option for flood affected, unknown, historic and organochlorine based chemicals,” she said.
“Although we are collecting over 30 tonnes of chemical, there remains a large quantity of Group 2 chemicals on our books which won’t be collected this time due to the cost of disposal.
“Our stewardship program only collects registered agvet chemicals produced from any one of the 102 participating manufacturers involved in our program. These products have a levy placed on them to support the cost of their safe collection and disposal at the end of their life cycle.
“But there is always a pile of historic or unknown chemicals that don’t fit our scope which farmers find difficult to get rid of.
“Unfortunately these waste holders don’t have too many alternative options other than to use our chemical disposal program. By buying products supported by drumMUSTER and ChemClear, chemical users are automatically eligible to use either program for free.
“ChemClear is not just about collecting chemicals, it’s also about educating the population on buying the right products, using them correctly and disposing them responsibly.”
About 98% of chemicals collected by ChemClear are used as an alternative fuel source in the manufacturing of cement. Most of the material is destroyed in kilns which reach temperatures in excess of 1,800°C.
For further information on ChemClear, call 1800 008 182 or click here.