18/05/2005 - As Brits
take to their gardens this summer, the Environment
Agency is calling on industry, retailers and
local authorities to encourage responsible
use and disposal of pesticides to reduce the
risk to the environment. The call follows
continuing evidence that some of the pesticides
most commonly used in home and gardens are
also those found in rivers.
Clear advice is required to keep the public
informed about which products are legal to
use and how to dispose of leftover pesticide
safely. Fast action is also sought from manufacturers
to provide clearer labeling and pack sizes
suitable for one season's use only.
In 2003 the UK public spent over £48
million on pesticide and biocide products
put to uses including to de-moss lawns, clear
algae from decking and to kill ants and wasps
and poison rodents. But it might be more than
the weeds that suffer. When people over apply
these products, or dispose of them incorrectly,
the chemicals can contaminate watercourses
and groundwater and harm wildlife. Water companies
spend millions of pounds every year removing
pesticides from water supplies used for drinking.
Pesticides used in the home and garden are
also used in the agriculture and amenity (e.g.
golf courses, public parks, highways) sectors.
The Environment Agency is already working
with the agriculture and amenity sectors,
through the Voluntary Initiative to reduce
pollution from pesticides and is now keen
to reach domestic users too.
Jo Kennedy, Environment Agency Pesticides
Policy Advisor said: "We can’t be sure
what proportion of the pesticides found in
rivers is coming from products used in gardens
but this shouldn’t stop us from doing something
positive to reduce the possibility of contamination.
Surveys suggest that people are often unaware
of the correct methods of disposal of pesticides.
"Many people seem to throw them in the
bin or down the sink rather than disposing
of them in the proper way by taking them to
their local authority amenity site. Some people
store them indefinitely in their sheds. We
are asking the pesticide industry, garden
centres and local authorities to step up the
work they are doing to encourage people to
use, store and dispose of pesticides properly.
Misuse and incorrect disposal is simple to
avoid."
"Now is a particularly important time
to get these messages across, since ongoing
review work by the European Commission means
some products will be withdrawn from the market
over the next few years. People need clear
advice about use-up times and disposal so
we avoid a situation where we have lots of
sheds full of illegal products."
The Environment Agency welcomes the initiatives
by those such as The Crop Protection Association
to improve knowledge and practice among garden
product retailers and consumers. The Environment
Agency also supports the introduction of the
new regulatory requirements by Pesticides
Safety Directorate regarding limits on pack
size and clearer labeling for pesticide products
and would encourage industry to move early
in implementing these changes.
The Environment Agency is specifically calling
on:
Industry to
make sure products are available in ready-to-use
quantities to reduce the risk of applying
too much at one go.
provide products in small pack sizes adequate
for one season’s use, such that the likelihood
of unused products building up in people’s
sheds, or being disposed of incorrectly is
reduced.
provide better information on or with the
product to ensure the public are clear about
the safe use of products and safe disposal
options.
Retailers to
provide information at the point of purchase,
such as leaflets, on the correct use and disposal
of pesticides and biocides.
Local Authorities to
ensure there are a sufficient number of sites
within their areas suitable for the collection
of old and unwanted pesticides from the public,
and provide better information to the public
on where these are located.
The Environment Agency advice on pesticides
use in home and gardens is:
Don’t… pour them down the sink
Because pesticides have hazardous properties
you must dispose of them differently from
normal household waste.
Don’t… put them in the bin
You must not put the unused product in your
rubbish bin either. This may result in it
being disposed of at a landfill site that
is not licensed or properly set up to take
hazardous waste.
Do… find out more
Contact your local council for advice on how
to deal with your unwanted pesticide products.
Most councils have civic amenity sites where
you can take your pesticide – it will be stored
with other hazardous waste and disposed of
properly. Other councils have collection services
for homes. Search www.pesticidedisposal.org
for your facilities in your local area.
To find out which products are being withdrawn
from the home and garden market go to the
Pesticide Safety Directorate’s website: www.pesticides.gov.uk/approvals.asp?id=627
NOTES TO EDITORS:
A copy of the Environment Agency’s briefing
note on home and garden pesticides can be
found at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/gardenpesticides
Environment Agency data for rivers shows that
for the top nine pesticides most frequently
found above the EC Drinking Water standard
of 0.1m g/litre, seven (Mecoprop-P, MCPA,
Diuron, 2,4-D, Dichloroprop-P, Simazine and
Atrazine) are common ingredients in weed and
moss killers for lawns and paths.
The UK public spent over £48.5million
on pesticide and biocide products for the
home and garden in 2003. This amounts to the
purchase of over 4.5 thousand tonnes of ‘active
ingredients’ (Crop Protection Association).
Across the range of pesticide and biocide
products available the public spent most (£31
million) during 2003 on herbicides (e.g. moss
and weed killers for lawns and paths).
In many lawn products the main active ingredient
by weight is inorganic ferrous sulphate (used
as a moss killer). Thus a large proportion
of the 4.5 thousand tonnes of 'active ingredients'
sold to the public will be ferrous sulphate.
Ferrous sulphate poses a low risk to the environment.
The Environment Agency's focus is not on this
substance, but on the smaller (and much more
toxic) quantities of organic herbicides used
within lawn products.
The 4.5 thousand tonnes of active ingredients
sold to the public in 2003 compares with nearly
23 thousand tonnes sold to the agricultural
sector and 0.8 thousand tonnes sold to the
amenity sector (e.g. local authorities, golf
courses).
The Environment Agency Household Waste Survey
2002 found 50% of people throw away unwanted
pesticides and chemicals as general rubbish
(i.e. into the bin) and 8% put them down the
drain. Available at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waste/1030612/239537/296229/296256/
All active ingredients in pesticide and biocide
products are presently being reviewed at a
European level, to ensure they meet modern
standards of safety and efficacy.
The Plant Protection Products Directive 91/414/EEC
and the Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC
have been implemented to bring about respective
harmonisation of the marketing and use of
plant protection products (termed pesticides
in this briefing) and biocides across the
European Community.
The Plant Protection Product Directive 91/414/EEC
is presently reviewing all active ingredients
used in plant protection products across the
EU. This process is likely to continue until
2012. Plant protection products include herbicides
for the control of unwanted plants as well
as fungicide, insecticide and molluscicide
products designed to protect plants from attack
by various organisms.
Under the Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC
23 product types (PTs) have been identified.
Of relevance to home and garden products,
PTs 8 (wood preservatives) and 14 (rodenticides)
are currently being reviewed. PTs 16 (molluscicides),
18 (insecticides and acaricides) and 19 (repellants
and attractants) will be reviewed in 2006/7,
and PT 10 (masonary preservatives) in 2008/9.
Pesticides Action Network UK provides a directory
of Local Authority facilities which will receive
pesticide and biocide waste from the public.
This is available at www.pesticidedisposal.org
. About 20% of Authorities do not register
that they have a facility available.
Hampshire County Council ‘Dispose of it safely’
scheme, run under Project Integra shows that
a public information campaign resulted in
significant increases in the quantities of
pesticides being taken to Local Authority
sites. http://www.hants.gov.uk/integra/
The Environment Agency is responsible for
regulating Local Authority sites that store
pesticide and biocide waste generated by the
public, and for regulating the sites that
then treat and dispose of this waste. In addition,
we regulate discharges from sewage treatment
works. Because of the inputs the sewage works
receive from domestic properties and industry,
their effluents can sometimes be sources of
pesticides and biocides into rivers.
The Voluntary Initiative is a programme of
measures, agreed by Government, to minimise
the environmental impacts of pesticides. The
signatories to the Voluntary Initiative are
the National Farmers Union, NFU Scotland,
the Country Land and Business Association,
the Ulster Farmers Union, the Crop Protection
Association, the National Association of Agricultural
Contractors, the Agricultural Engineers Association
and the Agricultural Industries Confederation.
Further information on the Voluntary Initiative
can be found at www.voluntaryinitiative.org.uk
The Pesticides Safety Directorate is an executive
agency of Defra. PSD ensures that pesticides
in the UK are safe for users, consumers and
the environment. PSD gives advice on pesticide
use for home gardeners. www.pesticides.gov.uk
