I’m new to Maine but one thing I’ve found very refreshing is how many of my new neighbors are dedicated to recycling and ‘go-green’ efforts.  Recycling bins are often as full, if not fuller than regular waste bins on trash day in my small neighborhood in South Portland. I am still pleasantly surprised when I receive cash back from dropping off bottles and aluminum cans through the CLYNK program when I grocery shop at my local Hannaford. And while helping my Grandmother move out of her home in Cape Elizabeth, I was practically in awe when we went to the Cape Elizabeth Recycling Center to drop off trash and recyclable materials. For many Southern Mainers, these resources are the cultural norm, but having lived in Washington, DC for 9 years prior to living in South Portland, I couldn’t help feeling like I’d reached some kind of oasis of environmentally-conscious individuals!

Therefore, I was not surprised when I read a press release from the Maine Dept of Agriculture urging individuals to take advantage of a free pesticide-disposal day scheduled for October 2011. This free service is offered once a year by the Old Unusable Pesticide Collection Program in order to provide citizens a way to dispose of obsolete pesticides that are illegal to continue to store on their property, which can otherwise be a tedious and expensive process. Program-eligible pesticides include those that contain DDT, dioxin-laced 2,4, and 5-T and compounds of arsenic, mercury or lead, to name a few. You can also dispose of older chemicals that may have become congealed, solidified or otherwise rendered unusable, such as captan, carbaryl, malathion, methoxychlor, parathion, nicotine, copper, or sulfate. There are a few steps, however, that the conscientious citizen must take in order to get rid of their unwanted materials: