Looking at Landcare | What happens to the chemicals

Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the thousands of rural chemical drums that are used by landholders in the Parkes and Forbes Shires? Collections points in the two shires include Parkes, Forbes Trundle, Peak Hill, Warroo, Garema, Tullamore and Eugowra, which are overseen by volunteers.

In Forbes the drumMUSTER is held on the second and last Friday’s of each month between 9am and 12pm by the Forbes Lions Club. Bookings are required on 02 6852 1488.

Note that this month, the collection will be held on Thursday, March due  29to Good Friday.

Parkes held their latest drumMUSTER on Friday, which was well attended, receiving over 2,000 drums. Developed with the environment in mind, the drumMUSTER program collects and recycles eligible, pre-cleaned agricultural and veterinary chemical containers.

drumMUSTER is a national product stewardship program that is supported by agvet chemical manufacturers, industry stakeholders which includes member and farming associations, state and local governments.

drumMUSTER has established collection facilities all over Australia and since its inception in 1998 the program has recycled over 20 million containers.

Once the containers have been collected, they are recycled into re-usable products such as wheelie bins, road signs, fence posts and bollards.

Participating manufacturers are identified by the inclusion of the eligible drumMUSTER container logo on their eligible containers. Containers not displaying this logo may be from non-participating manufacturers and will not be accepted into the program.

As more resellers turn to using Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) for their customers’ agvet chemical needs, many are still unsure about the right way to return IBCs once they’ve been used. The return process can be confusing, especially with multiple manufacturers of IBCs with different return policies.

Agsafe has prepared a quick and easy guide that may assist users on how to send IBCs back for recycling or reuse. Links for drumMUSTER information will be on our website and social media. Just a reminder about our two upcoming workshops and Celebration dinner. 

The two workshops that we hope will be of assistance to landholders making decisions particularly in dry, challenging periods. The workshops, with Dr Ash Martin, will show you how to take the data that is obtained through soil testing and make smart decisions based on your specific conditions.

The first workshop will be held at Adavale Lane Hall on April 5 and the second, at Bedgerabong Hall on April 6.  For more information call 6862 4914, cwllpo@hotmail.com, facebook or our website at centralwestlachlanlandcare.org. Until next week, happy Landcaring!