How to Recycle Pesticides
Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and weed-and-feed products. Regulated under federal pesticide law, where the product label carries binding legal force.
Quick answer
Read the label, because legally it is the instruction that governs. EPA's phrase is that the label is the law, and it carries the manufacturer's disposal directions. Take leftover product to household hazardous waste in its original container, never down a drain or septic system, and never reuse an empty pesticide container for anything.
- Recyclable
- Not curbside
- 1Read the label's storage and disposal section first, since it is legally binding under federal pesticide law
- 2Keep the product in its original container, because the label is what identifies it at a collection site
- 3Never combine two products, even similar ones, in one container
- 4Buy and mix only what you will use, since leftover concentrate is the whole disposal problem
- 5Use up product according to label directions where that is still appropriate
- 6Take leftovers to household hazardous waste or a pesticide collection event
- 7Never reuse an empty pesticide container for storage, watering, or anything else
- 8Never pour pesticide down a drain, into a septic system, onto soil, or into a storm drain
- 9Store away from heat, out of reach of children and pets, and away from food
- Household hazardous waste facilities
- Municipal and county collection events
- Dedicated pesticide collection programs, which some states run for legacy products
- Cooperative extension offices, for identification and guidance
Under federal pesticide law the label is not advice, it is the enforceable instruction, and EPA states this directly. That includes the storage and disposal section, which differs by product and is more specific than any general guidance. Two common pieces of misinformation are worth correcting. The triple-rinse procedure people repeat is an agricultural practice tied to on-farm disposal rules for commercial containers, and it does not apply to household products; EPA's consumer guidance is the opposite, telling you never to reuse an empty pesticide container. And household pesticides sit in an awkward regulatory spot: they fall under the household waste exclusion, so federal hazardous waste rules do not apply to them, while state and local requirements often do, which is why the answer depends on where you live. Old sheds and garages sometimes turn up long-banned products such as DDT or chlordane; those are collection-event material and should not be opened, decanted, or moved unnecessarily.
Pesticides are designed to be biologically active, which is exactly why misplacing them matters. Poured down a drain they pass through systems not built to remove them; poured on soil or into a storm drain they reach groundwater and surface water directly, since stormwater is generally not treated before it reaches a water body. Buying the smallest effective quantity is the intervention with the largest effect, because the disposal problem is almost entirely leftover concentrate rather than applied product.
Not Accepted
- Any pesticide in curbside recycling or the trash
- Empty pesticide containers reused for another purpose
- Pesticides poured into a drain, septic system, or storm drain
- Mixed or decanted products in unlabeled containers
- Commercial and agricultural quantities at household collection sites
- Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides, which act on the nervous system
- Herbicide active ingredients including glyphosate and pyridine carboxylic acids
- Anticoagulant rodenticides, which are acutely dangerous to pets and wildlife
- Legacy organochlorines such as DDT and chlordane in pre-1980s products
- Petroleum solvent carriers, which make many concentrates flammable
Recycling centers that accept Pesticides
RecycleFind lists recycling centers that accept pesticides. Open a listing for hours, contact info, and directions.