The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service have scheduled three waste pesticide collections in September around the Panhandle.

“This collection is not only for agricultural producers,” said Rick Auckerman, AgriLife Extension agent for Deaf Smith. “Homeowners are welcome to bring old paints or old pesticides or any chemicals, batteries, anything they have, they are more than welcome to bring them.”

The last time a collection was held in Deaf Smith County, Auckerman said, about 20,000 pounds of pesticide were gathered. And people came from as far as Amarillo and Lubbock.

“We know there are still chemicals related to sugar beets, so bring them in,” he advised area producers.

The collections are open to all Texas residents. Among the items accepted will be crop-related chemicals, oil/oil filters and other automobile fluids, lead-acid batteries, paint, fluorescent bulbs and pesticides used on livestock. Properly rinsed, empty plastic pesticide containers also will be taken.

Do not bring tires, radioactive or explosive materials, fertilizers, propane or butane cylinders larger than 20 gallons, biomedical wastes or ammunition, the AgriLife Extension agents advised.

All collections will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The collections are scheduled as follows:

-- Sept. 14 in the Moore County Gin, 11800 U.S. Hwy. 287, six miles north of Dumas on 287. For more information contact Marcel Fischbacher, AgriLife Extension agent for Moore County, 806-935-2594 or [email protected].

-- Sept. 16 in the Deaf Smith County Bull Barn, 108 Dairy Road, Hereford. For more information, contact Auckerman, 806-364-3573, [email protected].

-- Sept. 18 in the Hall County Farm Supply, 305 South 2nd Street, Memphis. For more information, contact Joshua Brooks, AgriLife Extension agent for Hall County, 806-259-1621, [email protected].

The environmental commission organizes these free, regional collections of unwanted or unused pesticides throughout the state as part of the Agricultural Waste Pesticide Collection program.

Complete information about safely rinsing and recycling agricultural chemical containers can be found at http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/assistance/AgWaste/rinsed-containers.html.