EPA Publishes Regulation Establishing Standards for Pesticide Containers and Containment

EPA has published its final rule establishing standards for pesticide containers and containment. The rule was proposed on February 11, 1994; a Supplemental Notice was published on October 21, 1999; and the comment period was reopened on June 30, 2004. The rule establishes standards for refillable and nonrefillable containers, including design specifications for rinsing, durability, and standardized closures. It requires pesticide labels to provide instructions on how to properly clean containers before disposal or recycling. The rule also establishes standards for secondary containment structures at certain agricultural storage sites and for containment pads at certain agricultural pesticide dispensing operations.

The rule affects registrants, distributors, dealers, commercial applicators, and custom blenders but does not extend to containment at individual farms. The rule is intended to ensure that pesticide containers can be safely and effectively rinsed before recycling or disposal. It is intended to promote the safe refill and reuse of refillable containers and to ensure that large quantities of agricultural pesticides will be stored and transferred under conditions that prevent spills and releases of pesticides into the environment. Additional information about the rule and who is affected by the rule is available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/containers.htm. The Web site includes electronic copies of the rule-related Federal Register notices and a summary of the major requirements of the final rule. The Federal Register notice announcing the final rule is available electronically at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.

Questions may be directed to Nancy Fitz at 703-305-7385, or fitz.nancy@epa.gov, or Jeanne Kasai at 703-308-3240, kasai.jeanne@epa.gov. For general information about storage and disposal of pesticide containers, visit http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/storage.htm.



http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/storage.htm

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