As a service to pesticide users, The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance (TPSA) compiled a list of companies that currently collect mini bulk containers (also called intermediate bulk containers or IBCs) for recycling at https://tpsalliance.org/index.php?id=209. This web page is a “one stop” shop providing information on the patchwork of IBC recycling programs across the country, which are run by container manufacturers, reconditioners and recyclers as well as pesticide manufacturers and distributors. The web page lists contact information for all of these companies and provides logistical details about the ones collecting IBCs for recycling, such as where the companies operate and which containers they collect. The information is presented in a number of different ways, so pesticide users and other interested parties can obtain contact information for a specific company, find all of the container companies operating in their state, and download files with contact information for all container companies and all pesticide manufacturers and distributors.
TPSA recommends that the plastic from pesticide IBCs is handled according to the American National Standards Institute/American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ANSI/ASABE) Standard S596, Recycling Plastic Pesticide Containers from Pesticides and Pesticide-Related Products. TPSA further recommends that the recycled plastic be used in North America to produce end use products identified in the ANSI/ASABE standard, such as marine or bridge pilings, field drain pipe or fence posts. The full list of acceptable end use products for the plastic and other information about the ANSI/ASABE standard can be found at https://tpsalliance.org/index.php?id=209.
TPSA does not endorse any of the companies listed and recommends that pesticide users conduct due diligence of potential container collectors, processers and recyclers. The web page provides some questions that serve as the starting point of a due diligence investigation.
TPSA’s Mini bulk / IBC Management web page (https://www.tpsalliance.org/index.php?id=178) provides other information relevant to recycling these containers, including guidance and a video on how to rinse IBCs, definitions of commonly used container terms, information on complying with EPA’s pesticide container regulations and links to container and recycling presentations from recent TPSA conferences.
About TPSA
The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance, founded in 2000, is an organization of federal, state and local governmental agencies, educational and research institutions, public organizations, private corporations and individuals that are actively involved in different aspects of pesticide stewardship. The goals of TPSA are to increase the effectiveness, efficiency and longevity of various pesticide stewardship efforts. Check the TPSA web site for more information.
