The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is rolling out an eco-friendly initiative, targeting farmers and agrichemical facilities for free recycling of agrichemical containers. Announced to begin mid-July, this effort is not just a one-off event but a sustained campaign stretching into August, with drop-off sites peppered across the state ready to give these plastics a second life in the form of shipping pallets.

As Jerry Costello II, IDOA Director, positions the program, it's an escalating success with an eye on sustainability. "This program grows in popularity each year because it provides a safe and convenient way for farmers and agrichemical facilities to dispose of empty pesticide containers," and he notes the environmental win stating , "Repurposing the plastic into pallets is far better for the environment than shipping them off to landfills," according to an Illinois government press release . The fine print stipulates a no-go for metal and household pesticide containers. The recycling sites will accept only spotless and dry high-density polyethylene, #2 plastic containers, prepped by their former users, the containers stripped of caps, labels, and such.

Participants bear the brunt of the prep work, tasked with a series of container dissections. Plastic drums must have their tops and bottoms cut off, sides slit open, while larger Mini-Bulk and Intermediate Bulk containers face a similar fate, downsized into tidy squares or a series of six slabs of plastic, respectively. Further aiding the cause, G. Phillips and Sons, LLC extends an olive branch with a year-round pickup service tailored to the sizable Mini-Bulk and Intermediate Bulk containers, reachable at 678-232-6047 for more information.

This recycling rally is not a solo act by IDOA but a collaborative venture, a roster of green allies including the Agriculture Container Recycling Council, GROWMARK, Inc., Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association, G. Phillips and Sons, LLC, Illinois Farm Bureau, and University of Illinois Extension all chipping in. Each organization is bringing something to the table to ensure the program's effectiveness, the IDOA leading the charge in a state-wide drive to keep agrichemical containers out of the looming landfills, and transform them into reusable goods.