Managing pesticide waste and packaging

In the past, the efforts of the U.S. pesticide industry were aimed at providing a product that maximized the ability of the active ingredient to control the target pest(s) in a safe, reliable and cost effective manner. The U.S. society and the pesticide industry concerned itself primarily with the chemistry of the product. The package was almost an afterthought. The package was something to hold the product until it was delivered to the customer. Once the pesticide was used, little additional thought was given to the package. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a dramatic awaking to the importance of the package. Today it is recognized that the package does not just contain the product, rather it is an integral part of the product. This paper discusses the U.S. Agrochemical Industry's efforts relating to management of the pesticide container. Areas addressed include: 1) specific recycling programs for steel drums and plastic containers, 2) the U.S. Agrochemical packaging trends, and 3) the U.S. packaging management strategy.