Qualicum Beach residents planning to take advantage of the annual pesticide pickup should make sure their unwanted chemicals are secure, says public works head Al Cameron.
The Town of Qualicum Beach, he said, has been picking up unwanted herbicides and pesticides as part of the Seedy Saturday event for several years now in an effort to rid the community of possibly dangerous chemicals.
“We get everything from diazinon to Roundup,” he said. “We do this to remove dangerous products from our community and make sure it’s not used. Lots of people don’t know what to do with leftover chemicals and they sometimes leave them in cupboards and garages, where the containers can deteriorate — and then you can get into a spill situation.”
The collection will be done by town staff outside the Civic Centre on Saturday and Cameron said they will have protective clothing on, but he urged people to do their part to keep the town staff safe.
“Make sure it’s sealed and in a plastic bag,” he said.
Although he said it was difficult to judge exactly how much was collected last year.
“We got about a garbage can-full,” he said.
The collection service, Cameron said, is free.
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