Freeborn County will again partner with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to provide agriculture waste pesticide collection this year.

Randy Tuchtenhagen, solid waste officer, said the partnership has been going well. Because the county already provides household hazardous waste collection, it wasn’t much more work to start collecting agricultural hazardous wastes as well.

“Not a lot of counties signed up in the beginning, but from what I’ve heard there are more and more counties taking advantage of that partnership,” Tuchtenhagen said.

Funds are reimbursed to the county for collecting agricultural pesticide waste. Previously the Department of Agriculture sent out its own team to collect farm waste, but it has worked well to partner with counties that already have collection services.

“We’re out there collecting poisons and chemicals anyhow,” Tuchtenhagen said. “It’s been a good partnership.”

Because Freeborn County has a mobile unit that travels to the municipalities in the county, it can make it easier for county residents to dispose of hazardous wastes. The one issue is that the waste has to be transported by the mobile unit after collected, so Tuchtenhagen said they appreciate a call from those who are bringing large quantities.

Everything taken by the county has to be put into a lab pack, which is a protection against leakage and labeled according to what kind of chemical it is. All chemicals also have to be in containers and labeled approved by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

“What we ask is that if farmers are bringing agriculture waste pesticides to our collections just give us a call with what it is and how much,” Tuchtenhagen said.

Knowing the size, quantity and containers will help officials bring items necessary to transport the waste from the collection site. With very large waste collections, Tuchtenhagen said special arrangements can be made just by calling the office.

2011 Hazardous Waste Collection Sites
Date        City        Time
May 5        Conger        noon-3 p.m.
May 10    Myrtle        noon-3 p.m.
May 14    Albert Lea    9 a.m.-noon
May 18    Hollandale    noon-3 p.m.
May 25    Alden        3-6 p.m.
June 2    Emmons    noon-3 p.m.
June 7    Geneva        noon-3 p.m.
June 11    Albert Lea    9 a.m.-noon
June 16    Manchester    11 a.m.-2 p.m.
June 21    Hayward    noon-3 p.m.
June 29    Hartland    noon-3 p.m.
July 9        Albert Lea    9 a.m.-noon
July 13    Twin Lakes    3-6 p.m.
July 21    Oakland    noon-3 p.m.
July 26    Clarks Grove    noon-3 p.m.
Aug. 20    Albert Lea    9 a.m.-noon
Aug. 23    Maple Island    11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sept. 24     Albert Lea    9 a.m.-noon
Sept. 28    Glenville    noon-3 p.m.