The ChemClear collection truck has begun its long journey to South Australia to collect unwanted and out-of-date agvet chemicals.
The program called on all South Australian agvet chemical users to register their chemicals for collection and disposal in a successful call to action earlier this year.
This year’s collection is ChemClear’s largest in the state, with registrations reaching more than 26,000 L/kg of agvet chemicals before the booking line closed in late March.
The registration total is more than the last three collections combined, where 20,400 L/kg of chemical had been collected and disposed of during state runs held in 2005, 2008 and 2011.
ChemClear National Program Manager Lisa Nixon said the response was overwhelming.
“Farmers and chemical users across South Australia have really taken notice of our call to action and checked their storages of chemical and registered their unwanted products,” she said.
“This year’s total collection pool is six tonnes more than the combined total of chemical we have collected from the state in the last nine years.”
Under the ChemClear program, chemical manufacturers participating in the program apply a levy on products which is passed on to the consumer at the point of sale.
The levy allows ChemClear to collect and dispose of eligible products from farmers and chemical users for free.
Lisa said more than half of the chemical registered this year will be collected for free.
“More than 13,000L/kg will be collected free of charge because they come from one of the 108 participating companies who apply the 4 cents per L/kg levy,” she said.
The collection will cover 3000km starting from the base of operations in Melbourne and will work its way towards the South Australia border.
The truck will then proceed through Adelaide to the Riverland region before finishing off in Mildura and heading back to base in Melbourne.
The truck will visit a total of 39 host sites throughout the four week collection.
“The ChemClear truck is collecting chemicals from farmers and other agvet chemical users that have been registered with the program since our last collection in 2011,” Lisa said.
“Those who have registered for the program are notified of the time and location to meet up with the ChemClear retrieval vehicle in their own local area.”
Ninety eight per cent of the chemical collected is 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 1800°C.
To register your unwanted chemicals for ChemClear’s next run, call the hotline on 1800 008 182 or visit the Registration page.