Transport, Storage, Disposal, and Emergency Response
Storage and transport
Store pesticides in a locked, ventilated, well-lit structure with a posted sign, absorbent material, and secondary containment for liquids. Keep products in their original labeled containers, upright and off the floor, away from food, feed, seed, fertilizer, livestock, and children. Freezing can ruin emulsifiable concentrates, and excessive heat degrades many products. In transport, secure containers upright in the cargo area rather than the passenger cab, segregate from food and feed, carry shipping papers and, where required, DOT placards, and keep a spill kit aboard.
Disposal
Triple rinse or pressure rinse empty containers, pouring the rinsate into the spray tank, then puncture or crush containers so they cannot be reused and route them to an accepted recycling program. Never burn containers, never dump rinsate on the ground, and never reuse a pesticide container for any other purpose. Dispose of excess mix by applying it to a labeled site at the labeled rate, not by pouring it out.
Emergencies
Sequence matters: protect people, then stop and contain the source, then call for help. For a spill, wear the label PPE, dike the material, absorb it, and place the waste in a labeled container. Never hose a spill into a storm drain. Contact emergency services for injuries, poison control for exposure questions (1-800-222-1222 in the U.S.), and report spills as the label and CDA require.
Traps
Storing pesticides beside feed, rinsing containers and leaving the rinsate on the ground, and assuming a small spill needs no containment.
Rule of thumb
If the container cannot be reused and the rinsate cannot go in the tank, the plan is wrong.