Representing the Plant Science Industry
Graphic Design: Cambridge Marketing © CropLife International aisbl – March 2009
The container is then rinsed by filling one-
quarter to one-third with clean water,
replacing the cap and shaking vigorously
for 30 seconds. The rinse is then added to
the contents of the spray tank.
This rinsing procedure is repeated a
further two times (i.e. three times in all)
with a final draining into the spray tank.
Rinsed containers should then be
punctured and stored safely with their
caps off until they can be properly
disposed of.
Benefits of rinsing
• Rinsing ensures that the complete
container content is added to the spray
mixture.
• Rinsing decontaminates containers and
ensures they are non hazardous to
humans, animals, or the environment.
• Rinsed containers are safe to handle.
• Rinsing enables containers to be
recycled which is a sustainable method
of disposal.
• Rinsing relieves the farmer from dealing
with hazardous waste.
• Rinsing provides an incentive to
participate in collection schemes and
protects the environment.
Summary
Rinsing immediately after emptying is part
of Good Agricultural Practice and leads to
non hazardous empty packaging.
- March 2010 -
Sustainable packaging What is the legal basis for a
non hazardous classification?
The case for In May 2008, the FAO/WHO published
“Guidelines on Management Options for
rinsing used Empty Pesticide Containers” in which it
recommended (p15) that countries should
pesticide containers classify properly rinsed containers that
have been inspected as non hazardous.
In the United States, the federal Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
of 1976 makes it illegal to dispose of any
pesticide or pesticide-related waste by
burning, dumping, or well injection. Any
container with unused pesticide, including
residue, is considered to be hazardous
waste which may harm humans, animals or
the environment. However, properly rinsed
containers are not considered hazardous
waste and can go to an approved
recovery/recycling centre or to landfill.
In many other countries it is the
concentration of active ingredient left
behind after rinsing that is used to
determine whether a consignment of
waste containers is hazardous or not.
CropLife International aisbl
326 Avenue Louise
Box 35, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
tel +32 2 542 04 10
fax +32 2 542 04 19
croplife @croplife.org
www.croplife.org
For more information on Sustainable Packaging
visit CropLife International’s website
or contact keith.jones@croplife.org Recycling of plastic pesticide containers
www.croplife.org
In Europe, threshold concentrations have
been set for the different categories of
active ingredient. The limits depend on the
hazardous nature of the active ingredient
concerned. Waste consignments containing
active ingredient concentrations below
these limits are classified as non
hazardous.
The concentration of the active ingredient
is expressed as a percentage of the total
weight of the waste consignment. There is
a wide range of threshold limits with the
lowest European limit being 0.1% w/w for
‘Very Toxic’ active ingredients.
Determining whether rinsed
containers are hazardous or
not under practical conditions
A comprehensive programme of analytical
work using the lowest European limits has
been carried out in a number of countries.
The objective of the programme was to Over 200 different samples How can containers be
compare the concentration of a wide range were analysed involving 51
of active ingredients found in consignments active ingredients.
rinsed?
of plastic pesticide containers with the Empty pesticide containers can be
Results obtained (see figure
threshold limits. effectively rinsed in different ways –
1 below): The results
pressure rinsing using equipment that
Analytical Work: statistically valid samples of obtained showed that the
comes with the sprayer, or ‘triple rinsing ’,
containers were obtained from cumulative concentration
which can be done without the use of
consignments collected by the national of ‘Very Toxic’ active
collection scheme in Germany. ingredients in consignments special equipment.
was well below the lowest Triple rinsing – how is it done?
A method of analysis was developed that
threshold limit of 0.1%.
was capable of detecting and quantifying a Even when the container appears to be
wide range of active ingredients in the These results have been empty of pesticide it needs a final draining.
consignment samples. repeated in France, Brazil, The container is inverted over the spray
Rinsed containers
Poland and Canada. are free of residues tank or mixing tank and allowed to drain
The method developed was able to analyse
the total active ingredient adhering Consignments of rinsed for at least 30 seconds until the flow has
slowed down to a drip.
to the containers’ walls, together with that containers are therefore non hazardous.
which had migrated into the walls.
Figure 1: Concentration of pesticides in containers collected in Germany in 2007.
Threshold
0.100
limit (0.1%)
% Active ingredients (w/w)

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Collection point for rinsed pesticide containers

(Guatemala) Collection site