4.4 Mixing, loading, storage, transport, spills & disposal

Safe Mixing and Loading

The mixing-and-loading step exposes applicators to concentrated pesticide, so it is the highest-risk part of most jobs. Always mix in a well-ventilated area with good light, wear the PPE the label requires, and stand so the wind blows the concentrate and any splashes away from your body. Open containers carefully and measure at or below waist level to keep splashes away from your eyes and face.

Protect the water supply. Never let the fill hose touch or hang inside the spray mixture in the tank; keep an air gap between the end of the hose and the top of the liquid, or install an anti-backflow (anti-siphon) device, so pesticide cannot be drawn back into the well or public water system by back-siphoning. Never leave a tank filling unattended.

When a container is empty, triple rinse it: fill it about one-fourth full with water, secure the cap, shake, and pour the rinsate into the spray tank; repeat three times. Pressure-rinsing achieves the same result. The rinsate becomes part of your spray mix and is applied to a labeled site, so nothing is wasted and the container becomes far safer to handle and dispose of.

Have clean water, soap, and a change of clothing within reach in case of a splash, and know where the emergency eyewash is. Position the sprayer on a mixing-and-loading pad or an area where a spill can be contained, not near a well, drain, or surface water. Always keep the pesticide, the water source, and yourself positioned so wind, gravity, and any overflow carry the material away from your body and away from water, and do the arithmetic carefully so you mix only the amount you need.

Storage

Store pesticides in a secure, dry, well-ventilated, locked area, posted with warning signs, away from food, feed, seed, water supplies, and anywhere children or animals could reach them. Keep every product in its original container with the label intact and legible, and never store a pesticide in a food or drink container, a leading cause of accidental poisoning. Store products so a leak cannot reach a drain, and keep dry formulations above liquids so a leaking liquid cannot wet a powder. Hold temperatures within the label's range so products do not freeze, break down, or separate, and keep an up-to-date inventory. Store combustible formulations away from heat, sparks, and open flame.

Transport

Carry pesticides in the bed of a truck, never in the passenger compartment where a leak could poison the driver or where children or pets ride. Secure containers upright so they cannot tip, roll, slide, or be punctured, and protect paper and cardboard packaging from rain. Never transport pesticides with food, feed, or animals. Check that caps and closures are tight before loading, and never carry damaged or leaking containers. Carry the label and be ready to manage a spill in transit.

Spill Response: The Three C's

Every applicator should be ready to respond to a spill using the three C's: Control, Contain, Clean up.

Never hose a spill down a drain or into the soil to make it disappear. For a large or hazardous spill, keep people away and call CHEMTREC (1-800-424-9300) for guidance, and report spills as required by law.

Keep a spill kit on hand and in your vehicle: chemical-resistant gloves and other PPE, absorbent material, a shovel and broom, a container to hold the waste, and warning signs or barrier tape. Practice the response so that in an emergency you act quickly and calmly. A small spill handled at once rarely becomes a serious incident, while a spill left to spread can reach water and trigger reporting and cleanup obligations.

Disposal

Dispose of pesticides, rinsates, and containers according to the label and to federal, state, and local law. The best way to avoid disposal problems is to buy only what you need and apply leftover spray mix to a labeled site at the labeled rate. Triple-rinsed (or pressure-rinsed) containers may often be recycled or disposed of as the label directs; unrinsed containers are considered hazardous waste. Never reuse an empty pesticide container for any other purpose, never burn containers unless the label allows it, and never pour excess pesticide or rinsate on the ground, down a drain, or into water. Take unusable pesticides and empty containers to an approved collection site or hazardous-waste program, and keep records of what you disposed of and how. Many states and dealers hold clean-sweep or container-recycling collection days for unwanted pesticides; use them rather than stockpiling old products, which can corrode, lose their labels, and become a hazard. Following these mixing, storage, transport, spill, and disposal practices protects you, the public, and the environment, and keeps you in compliance with the label, which is the law.